We Look So Good With Our Boyfriends
by K5Rakitan
Summary: After falling in love and forming a relationship with two guys, Kari is faced with scrutiny from her family and society. Not everyone seems to understand how much she loves both of them. Can they keep their love secret, and will it endure the test of time? Polyamory. Leigh x Rosalya x Lysander x OC x Jade x Violette Thanks to KaityMarie for the awesome cover image!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **This is the sequel to Sweet Amoris Ball. I wrote a little summary in the prologue and first chapter so you don't have to read Sweet Amoris Ball unless you want to read it. However, a summary also means spoilers, so decide for yourself whether you want to read the other one first.

**Prologue**

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Lysander said through gritted teeth.

I turned around to see Amber with her arm slung over Lysander's black coat. Amber flipped her golden curls. "I'm trying to prove a point. Notice anything new, Kari?"

I looked her up and down. Instead of her usual designer blouse and matching necklace, she wore a white top with pink lettering. I read the words aloud. "I look so good with your boyfriend?"

"That's right, you little urchin. Girls, who looks better with Lysander, me or Kari?"

We were in the courtyard surrounded by the most popular girls in school, who also happened to be Amber's best friends. Of course, they took her side. One by one, they chirped Amber's praises. Personally, I didn't care. I just wanted to get to the garden and eat my lunch in peace.

Lysander stood there as stiff as a board with his arms crossed. "Amber, get off me."

"But we look soooo gooood together," she crooned.

"You're right, Amber. You do look really good with my boyfriend. You also look great on your own or with other guys." I took out my phone and snapped a quick picture. "Of course, you can't look good with Lysander _all_ the time. Here's a picture if you'd like to commemorate the occasion. Just give me your number and-"

"-as if!" Amber let go of Lysander and pushed him towards me. "Here. Take your stupid boyfriend back."

I caught Lysander as he stumbled into my arms and watched with a smile as the other girls turned their backs on me. They really could have a piece of Lysander if they asked nicely, but they could never take him away from me for good.

Lysander, Rosalya, Leigh, Violette, Jade and I had been going steady for about three months now. However, Rosalya was originally paired with just Leigh and Lysander paired with me to help protect Rosalya's reputation. Jade went to another school so we did not get to see him very often, but if anyone asked he was Violette's boyfriend. Amongst each other we had no secrets, but we agreed not to tell other people at our school that I also loved Jade and Lysander also loved Rosalya.

Jade's parents seemed quite thrilled that he was dating two girls at the same time. In fact, Violette and I were invited to their house for dinner Friday night.

My parents, on the other hand, had differing opinions on the matter. My dad accepted it quietly and listened to whatever I had to say without judgment. After all, this was my life and only I really knew how to live it. My mom asked a million tough questions. OK, maybe it was only a dozen questions, but by the time I was done explaining my choice to her it _felt _like a million. She eventually accepted that my arguments were sound and that I had put a lot of thought into my decision, but I still got a strange vibe from her like she expected me to come crying back to her when it all fell apart.

I'm fully prepared for the possibility that my bundle of relationships might unravel someday, but I don't dwell on it. To dwell on something is to condemn it before it even has a chance. Relationships fail for many different reasons, and expecting failure is one of those reasons. I prefer to expect success. Robert. A. Heinlein once wrote, "Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events."

**Closing Note: **Please Review! Reviews make me happy.


	2. Lunch

Chapter 1: Lunch

Lysander walked with me to the garden, where we met up with Violette and Rosalya. After checking to see that the coast was clear, Lysander gave Rosalya a quick kiss and we all sat down to eat. I had made myself a hummus sandwich at home and brought it with me. Lysander also had a sandwich of some sort while Violette had a rice dish and Rosalya bought her lunch.

"Leigh got a new order in yesterday," Rosalya said. "Every single girl who walked into the shop bought this one shirt, so I saved one for each of you."

I did not usually care too much about popular items, but I found Rosalya's thoughtfulness touching. "Thanks!"

Rosalya pulled a stack of neatly folded black cloth out of her backpack. She unfolded one, and I saw that it had the same words as Amber's shirt, except in gold lettering.

"Did you sell one of these to Amber?" Lysander asked.

"Probably. She's a regular customer. She stops by every delivery day to see what's new."

"Did you ever wonder whose boyfriend she wanted to look good with?" Lysander asked.

I explained what had happened in the courtyard.

Rosalya's eyes grew wide and fierce for a moment, but then she smiled when she heard how it ended. Rosalya had mixed feelings about Amber. She would have been upset if Amber put her hands on Leigh, but she was less possessive when it came to Lysander. She knew that Amber was manipulative and more likely to steal a boyfriend than share one, but it was her job to protect Leigh and my job to protect Lysander from objectionable advances. "I wasn't even modeling yesterday. I had too much homework, so I stayed in the back room. Leigh must have sold it to her. Even if I was there, I would not have turned down our most loyal customer. Besides, I'm sure she looked great with you."

"She did, actually." I took out my phone and showed the picture to Rosalya and Violette.

Rosalya scrutinized the picture. "You need to smile more, LysBaby. This photo looks like you just ate ten pounds of bitter tea leaves."

"That's because I don't like Amber," Lysander said simply.

"Oh. Well in any case I thought it would be fun to wear matching shirts." Rosalya passed one to me and one to Violette.

"Wait a minute. This could get you all into trouble. Everyone knows you have boyfriends already, so walking around in a shirt like that could draw unwanted attention," Lysander advised.

"I think it will be fun." I unfolded the shirt and slipped it over my other clothes. "Besides, looking good with someone else's boyfriend and trying to steal him are two different things."

"The shirt is so popular that I'm sure nobody will notice anyway," Violette said.

"Amber will probably notice, but we can have some fun with her," I said.

"We should wear these on triple dates," Rosalya added.

"I still don't think it's a good idea, but clearly there's nothing I can do to stop you," Lysander said.  
Rosalya wiggled happily into her shirt and Violette followed suit. We finished up our lunches talking about our history projects. Violette and Rosalya did not share any class periods with me and Lysander, but we had the same history teacher and the same assignments. It helped to compare notes with them.

On our way back into the school, we encountered Amber again. She flipped her golden curls and said, "Well well. What do we have here? It looks like you're even more of a $£ц₮ than I thought, Kari."

"That's one way of putting it. I guess we both are, then," I told her with a sweet smile.

Amber's face reddened. "How _dare_ you! I'm not a ῷ≠↔ᾨᴞ. You and your dirty ∑ﬃ◊Ⅎ™ friends tried to copy me."

"Amber, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When I saw how good you looked with Lysander, I figured my friends would look good with him, too."

Rosalya squeezed her face close to Lysander's. "It's true, too. _Everyone_ looks good with him."

"That's complete ᵝᵿᶋᶘ$#ἷ₮©!" Amber yelled.

Just then, the principal waddled up behind Amber. She froze for a moment with her jaw hanging loose before she took a deep breath and screeched, "Amber! Come to my office at once."

Amber jumped and turned to face Ms. Shermansky. "But… but Kari started it."

"I don't care who started what. I do _not_ tolerate that kind of language at my school. Now come with me."

Amber reluctantly followed the short and stocky woman down the hall. The others and I waited until she was out of sight before laughing. Violette was in tears, and Rosalya was in stitches.

"Well, we should get to our next class," Violette said at last.

"Right," Lysander agreed.

We all nodded and went our separate ways. The gratification of watching Amber get in trouble stayed with me through the rest of the day. It wasn't any of my doing, though. Amber chose to say those words all on her own and the principal just happened to be nearby when she said them.


	3. Dinner

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to the Jade fan club for helping decide on the names for Jade's parents!

**Chapter 2: Dinner with the Dunstones**

"Bye Mom. I have to go now. My boyfriend is picking me up for dinner."

Before my mother could protest or even ask which one, I hung up the phone and tossed it on my desk. My parents had sent me to attend Sweet Amoris because it was a much better school than the one where they lived. They called me often to see how I was doing, and they were calling me more frequently than ever now that I had two boyfriends. My parents were wonderful people and I liked talking to them, but it was getting difficult to manage my time. I could date Jade and Lysander and still get all my homework done, but I did not have two hours to spend with my mother on the phone every night. I wish I had never told her.

Sighing, I searched through my closer for something appropriate to wear. I came upon a teal blouse with a vee neck and ruffled sleeves. It reminded me of what Amber wore, except brighter in color. With it, I wore a plain black skirt. I put these on, and then got to work on my makeup.

I applied black eyeliner and mascara with some silver and blue eye shadow. I dabbed a tiny bit of red lipstick on my lips and spread it around with some gloss on top. I did not want the color to be too obvious because I knew it would come off during the meal, but just a little tint would make a good first impression. At least, I wanted to make a good impression on Jade's mom. Jade's dad had already seen me in my school clothes without any makeup.

Jade knocked on my door while I was running my fingers through my auburn curls to remove any tangles that had formed during the day. I quickly grabbed my keys and met him outside.

"You look gorgeous, Kari."

"Thanks." I gave him a quick kiss and locked the door behind me. I would have made it longer, but I did not want too much of my lip color to disappear before Jade's mom saw me.

Violette was already in the electric Saab waiting for us. She looked more nervous than I felt. She had her short purple hair in two French braids that kept her hair neatly parted from front to back. Her makeup made her usually downcast grey eyes look wide and alive. It was as if someone had given her a makeover and coached her on how to act when meeting her boyfriend's parents. She seemed to be concentrating very hard on doing everything right.

"How is the garden at Sweet Amoris doing?" Jade asked us. He turned the motor on, and we headed out of the city.

"It is very productive this year. We have peppers, tomatoes, even eggplant. The pumpkins won't be ready for a while, but they are looking good," Violette said.

Jade glanced at Violette as if she had grown a second head. He wasn't freaked out or anything, but trying to decide if this new confident side of her personality was genuine or just an act. "That's good to know. How is the compost bin holding up?"

Violette hesitated and stiffened. She was trying too hard to be proper.

"It's great!" I said, "I stirred it yesterday and there were tons of worms in it. We're filling it up fast, though. We should start a second one soon."

"Summer break is only a month away. I could probably help you with it then," Jade said.

"That's very kind of you," Violette said.

"I'm afraid you two will have to do it without me. My parents want me to come home for the summer," I told them.

"Where is that?" Jade asked.

"It's in New Denton City, over three hundred kilometers east of here."

Jade's speech slowed. "The car won't go that far unless I can find a place to stop and charge it on the way. I'll look into it, but I don't think my mom will let me borrow the car for that long."

"There might be a train or a bus," Violette suggested.

"There is, actually. My aunt drops me off at the station in Emerald Haven, and my parents pick me up in New Denton."

Jade brightened. "That's an idea! I could walk to the Emerald Haven station, and then your parents could pick me up in New Denton."

"True, but you may not want to meet my mom. She's uncomfortable with the fact that I'm dating two guys, and if she finds out that you are also dating Violette, well…"

Violette returned to her usual self for a moment, and gave me a sheepish look. "My mom doesn't know that Jade is dating you, either."

"I don't blame you for not telling her. Sometimes I wish I had not told my mom about both of my boyfriends, but I just couldn't tell her about one without telling her about the other. Jade, I couldn't hide you from her, but I also couldn't reveal you while keeping her in the dark about Lysander."

"I know what you mean," Jade said, "I was a bit nervous about telling my parents, but thankfully it turned out all right. My mom thinks this means she'll get two grandkids instead of just one."

"Huh?"

"I am an only child because my mom really wanted to have a kid, but she's worried about overpopulation. She believes that every woman should only have one child or two at the absolute maximum. So if I wind up with two wives, she gets double the joy in grandchildren."

"Wow, your mom is…" Violette began.

"Nuts?" Jade asked.

"No, I think that 'supportive' is a better word. She accepts what you choose to do with your life and makes the most of it. I admire that," I said.

Jade gave me a soft smile. "I'm glad you think that, because we're here."

Jade pulled up in front of a cute house with solar panels on the roof. A path of stepping stones led to an orange tree surrounded by blueberry bushes. There was not a single blade of grass in the front yard.

Jade's dad rushed out and gave Jade a big hug. He wore a red apron with a rooster in the middle. "Kari! Violette! So good to see you again." He shook each of our hands.

"Pleased to see you too, Sir," Violette said.

"Call me Emmett," Jade's dad said jovially.

A woman poked her head out of house a moment later. "Hello! I'm sorry I just barely got off work. You must be Violette and Kari. I'm Esmeralda , Jade's mom." She came out to shake our hands and invited us inside. She wore no makeup, and her slightly gray brown hair fell to her shoulders. She wore an orange T-shirt and jeans, which made me wonder what kind of work she did.

Jade answered my question before I could even ask. "My mom works from home on the computer. She used to go into the office every day before the company realized it could save money by letting most of their employees work from home."

"Now I just go into the city for big meetings," Esmeralda said with a smile, "It saves me a lot of time and money commuting, but they are also giving me more work as well. Sometimes they go overboard and I find myself working well through dinner time. At least this way I never have to eat out at one of those processed factory food places. Emmett's cooking is the best."

"Speaking of which, I need to go check on dinner." Emmett dashed into a large kitchen with granite countertops.

"Jade, why don't you offer our guests something to drink?" his mother said.

"Yes, of course. Kari, Violette would you like something to drink?"

"Yes please. That would be lovely," Violette said. She had put on that prissy polite act again.

"Sure. What do you have?" I said. There was really no need to get all pretentious around Jade's family. That much was clear when I saw how his mother and father were dressed.

"We have lemonade, goat milk, water of course, and just about every kind of tea you can imagine."

"Lemonade sounds good," I said.

Violette ordered the same, but with an unnecessary number of polite words. She almost tripped over a few of them.

Esmeralda offered us seats at the dining table while Jade joined his dad in the kitchen. "I trust you didn't collide with any more of your classmates on the way here," Esmeralda said with a smirk.

Violette became tongue-tied again.

"No," I answered for her, "Castiel is really the only one at our school crazy enough to do that. Besides, everyone now knows that car weighs three times as much as a normal car, so they stay out of its way."

"Are you saying my car's not normal?" Esmeralda teased.

"Absolutely! It's better than normal. Normal cars are noisy and stinky."

Jade returned with our lemonade, and then started setting the table. His dad brought huge platters and bowls of food to the table.

Esmeralda chuckled. "I like you, Kari. I do like to play with words, though. Normal in and of itself is not a bad thing, but when something normal causes harm to people or the planet, I like to distinguish it by calling it prastic."

"That's a funny word. How did you come up with it?" I wondered.

"These days, it is considered normal to buy things encased in large quantities of plastic. Sometimes, there is more packaging than the actual stuff people are trying to buy. When this plastic winds up in landfills, it causes all sorts of damage to the environment. Many people are smart enough to recycle, but that's still not good enough. The plastic has to be driven to a recycling plant, melted, and driven as pellets to factories where it gets melted again into new items which then have to be transported to… you get the idea. The point is that it takes more energy to recycle something than it takes to simply wash it and use it again like good old-fashioned glass bottles. We have to look at what we are doing with open eyes instead of blindly following the crowd." Esmeralda tapped a ceramic bowl of mashed potatoes with her stainless steel fork. "You may notice that nothing on this table is prastic."

"It smells delicious. Thank you for having us over, Esmeralda and Emmett," Violette said.

As Jade and his father sat down with us, I noticed that not a single plate or bowl matched. All the other homes I had been to had matching table settings. It hurt my eyes when I tried to look at the table as a whole, but, if I just focused on one or two items at a time I found the different patterns and shapes interesting. "It's very colorful," I added.

"You like it? Any time our dishes break, we pick up more from the local thrift store. Mom says that buying a brand new set of all matching dishes and throwing away the old ones is prastic," Jade explained. He loaded some salad onto his plate and passed the large wooden bowl to Violette.

We passed around all the food until everyone had gotten some of everything. I was about to dig in when Emmett started giving thanks for our food. I paused and bowed my head with the family for a moment before satisfying my craving for the mouthwatering goodies.

"This is excellent meatloaf, Emmett," Violette said.

"Thanks. It's actually lentil loaf. We're vegetarians."

"I'm guessing meat is another one of those prastic things," I said.

"It depends on the circumstances. Factory farmed meat is prastic, but if one feeds scraps to pigs and chickens, that's a good thing. The city won't let us slaughter animals, though so we just milk our goat and make cheese," Esmeralda said.

Violette's eyes widened. "I always wanted to try goat cheese." Finally, she had dropped the act.

"Well. You're in luck, then! It's on the pasta."

Violette took a bite of her pasta and chewed it slowly. She swallowed. "Wow! This is awesome!"

I took a bite of the pasta as well, and the flavor practically exploded in my mouth. Fresh goat cheese really delighted the senses. "How do you make this stuff?" I asked.

"We found the instructions online," Jade's dad explained. "It's a website about living off the grid. We're technically still on the grid because Esmeralda uses the solar power to work all day and we use electricity from power plants to charge the Saab at night. Our carbon footprint is just as low as anyone off the grid, through."

"What's a carbon footprint?" Violette asked.

Emmett grabbed another slice of lentil loaf before answering. "It's how much carbon dioxide we as a family put into the atmosphere. You know about global warming, right?"

Violette and I nodded.

"Well large coal and gas-fired power plants produce lots of carbon dioxide. Our county shuts those down at night because the demand for electricity is lower. However, the wind turbines keep running. Wind speeds are higher at night, so those produce more energy than people on the grid normally use. If we don't use that electricity, it just goes to waste. It dissipates as heat because the county has nowhere to store it. By storing it in our car batteries and using it later, we make the most use of a resource that would have otherwise gone to waste."

Esmeralda speared a stalk of broccoli and waved it in the air. "In fact, if more people did what we do, we could charge ten thousand cars every night in our county before we would have to build new wind turbines. That's why using an internal combustion engine is prastic. So many people do it, but they could save our planet if they thought more carefully before turning that key."

"I don't want to drive at all," Violette said, "I would rather walk everywhere or ride a bicycle like Emmett."

"Same here, but my parents are making me learn how to drive. They are going to teach me this summer."

Esmeralda smiled at us. "It is an important skill to learn. I think you should both learn how to drive in case something happens to Jade and he needs to go to a doctor."

"Mom!" Jade cried.

Esmeralda's smile widened. "Or when one of you gets pregnant and goes into labor…"

"MOM!" Jade turned beet red.

Esmeralda's eyebrows rose, and she continued. "You just never know when your husband will be too busy to stop and do what is needed."

"_Ezzy!_" Emmett cried.

"What? You know it's impossible for a woman in labor to drive. Because you were out, I had to give birth to Jade in the bathtub."

"MMOOOOMMMM!"

Violette and I exchanged glances, but remained silent. This was more awkward than even I was prepared to endure.

"You men have no clue what labor is like. If I had a co-wife, she would have understood immediately and dropped everything to drive me to the hospital or at least act as a midwife."

Emmett's hand covered his face, and Jade's face landed on the table. "We get the point!"

Esmeralda's smile softened. "Good. Well, at least we got better baby pictures than anyone else in the neighborhood. Everyone else has a sterile, boring hospital background and can't remember the names of the nurses in the pictures. Girls, would you like to see Jade's baby pictures?"

Jade's face slid off the table and onto his knees.

"Um…" Violette started.

"Maybe some other time," I finished for her.

We spent the rest of the meal discussing school. This is where Violette really started to shine. She could talk about her classes with ease, and now that she had dropped the formalities, conversation flowed more smoothly.

I noticed that Esmeralda was strong-willed and opinionated on many things. She seemed to take a liking to me more than Violette, but as long as her son had one strong woman in his life, it did not matter if he loved more people.

I did not bring up the topic of Lysander. It wasn't so much that I felt that I would offend Jade's parents, but that there was no opportunity to bring him into the natural flow of conversation. Jade might have told them already, anyway. Come to think of it, it was Jade's place to tell them, not mine. I certainly would not appreciate Jade telling my parents about his relationship with Violette.

Dessert was fresh blueberry pie with goat milk ice cream. I have to admit that the goat milk did not taste quite as good in the ice cream as it did in the cheese, but ice cream is still ice cream, so who am I to complain?

After dinner, it was getting dark and Jade had to drive us home immediately. We said our farewells to his parents and got in the car. The ride home was very quiet, but we were all content to sit and enjoy the evening.


	4. Oops!

**Author's Note:** "The Logical Song" by Supertramp makes a good theme song for this chapter.

Chapter 3: Oops!

When Jade walked me up to the door of my apartment, my aunt was there waiting for me. "There you are young lady! Your parents were worried sick about you."

"I told them where I was going," I protested.

"No you didn't! You gave them no address, no time you expected to be back, and you didn't answer your phone when they called to check on you."

"Oh. I must have left my phone inside."

Auntie shook a finger at me, and Jade hid behind me. Normally she was sweet and understanding, but I could tell that I was in for a lecture this time. "Don't you _ever_ leave this place without your phone again. Your mother put me in charge of your safety, and when neither of us can reach you, we have to assume the worst. I had to call the police and asked them to look for you, but they said they couldn't because you hadn't been missing for forty eight hours. Your mother is now on the phone with them trying to convince them to search for you on the basis that _she_ has not _physically seen_ you since Christmas. Now call your mother _immediately_ and let her know you're all right."

Sheesh. I hoped Violette didn't have to go through this with her family. She would be home even later than me at this point. "OK, but first let me-"

"-Immediately!" Auntie roared. Sparks flew out of her cute little fairy wand.

Jade backed away towards the stairs. "I really have to get Violette home."

"I underst-"

"-NOW!" My aunt took me by the collar of my blouse and hauled me inside. She did not live in the apartment with me, but she had spare keys and had apparently done a thorough search of the place while I was gone.

I spotted Jade scampering back out to the Saab through my window. I was deeply disappointed that I did not get to kiss him goodnight. However, I had more pressing matters to address. I picked up my phone from my desk and pushed the speed dial button for Mom while Auntie hovered over me.

"Kari! Thank goodness you're alive. I knew we should not have sent you away to that school. Those boys are a bad influence on you."

"They're not influencing me, Mom. I make my own choices."

"Then why were you out so late?"

"I was having dinner with Jade's parents. We had dessert, and then he drove me home."

My mom gasped. "When you say 'dessert' do you mean what I think you mean? Kari, how could you! You should have never gotten in that car with him alone."

"No Mom, by dessert I mean blueberry pie and ice cream. Besides, we weren't alone in the car. Violette came along, too."

"Oh! I remember Violette. Sweet girl. Good influence. You shouldn't introduce her to those guys, though. They might corrupt her."

"What do you mean _corrupt?_"

"They might take her to a tattoo parlor or something. You may be strong enough to say no, but a sweet, innocent girl like Violette might feel compelled to get one to fit in. Don't let that happen to her."

"A tattoo parlor? Seriously, Mom? Only one of my boyfriends has a tattoo, and he wouldn't make-"

"_-One_ of them has _a_ tattoo? How do you know it's only one? Have you seen them naked? You have, haven't you? Both of them at the same time?"

"No, Mom! Look, I _asked_, OK? That's how I know. All I had to do was ask."

"They could be lying to you."

"They don't lie to me."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"They…" I almost told my mom about how they were also dating Violette and Rosalya without hiding them from me, but I knew that would open a much larger can of worms. "Look, why don't you meet them over the summer? See for yourself what great guys they are. Then you'll see why I couldn't pick just one."

Mom was silent for a moment. "And if I don't like either one of them, will you stop dating them?"

"No. As I said before, I make my own decisions."

"I see… I suppose you also get to decide whether to get a job and pay rent or whether to live under my roof and attend New Denton High School."

Uh oh. Mom had me cornered. I knew that my apartment in Sweet Amoris was quite expensive, and that there was no way I could cover it on minimum wage even if I could work fulltime. Auntie's place had no room, and even if it did, I would have to get a car because it was almost as far away from Sweet Amoris as Jade. I could get a bicycle like Jade's dad and ride an hour to school every day, but that hinged on Auntie allowing me to live with her in the first place. What about living with Jade or Lysander? No, our relationships were not nearly on that level yet. Violette or Rosalya? No, their parents would want to know why and would probably not approve of the truth. I was not prepared to lie to them. I could get roommates, but if I worked four hours after school every day at minimum wage, I would need… let's see… the apartment costs…

"Kari, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Mom. I was just thinking. Given the current status of society and the inflation of currency against the modal salary for denizens of this country in my cohort, I recognize that my decision-making power is limited."

"Ah! So sending you to that school did pay off after all. You are off the hook for now, but mark my words. Your days of experimenting with this free love nonsense are numbered. People tried that in the sixties, and it didn't work. You'll see."

"I guess I will. Thanks, Mom! Goodnight."

After I hung up, I gazed up at my aunt. "Hey Auntie, were you ever a part of the free love movement?"

Auntie looked at her wrist. "Well, would you look at the time! I have to go and get my beauty sleep. Take care, Kari!"

My aunt hurried out the door without closing it. I shook my head and closed it for her. There had to be something more that my family was not telling me. If the free love movement was really all that bad, they would have told me exactly _why_. However, the only thing I got out of them was a sense of shame. It was as if they had been silenced by a powerful Authority that would punish them with their lives if they spoke truthfully.

I brushed my teeth and slipped into bed contemplating this. There had to be a good reason for everything. I brushed my teeth because I did not want bacteria to grow and produce acid which would cause them to decay. Rotten teeth would lead to pain and difficulty eating. Likewise, I dated two guys because they both made me happy and I made them happy. To dump one of them would be, well, prastic. Just because monogamy was the normal thing to do did not make it right for me. I could have told Jade not to date Violette right from the start and made him my only one, but then I would have missed so many beautiful moments with Lysander. We would have all missed so many precious times together.

Could it be that my aunt and mother had many similar precious moments in the sixties? How could they be ashamed to speak of such events? Would I ever be ashamed to speak of my youth? It did not seem possible, but I tossed and turned all night long with questions burning in my mind.


	5. Saturday

Chapter 4: Saturday

I met Lysander in front of the library to work on our final World History project of the year. Each group had to choose a culture that the teacher had never covered during the course of the year and do an oral presentation on it. Lysander and I had chosen the Ache of Paraguay.

We could have done all of our research on the internet, but Lysander loved the library for its Victorian architecture. Even I gazed up in awe at its intricate glass windows, octagonal turrets, and fanciful wood shingles. If Mom carried out her threat, this would be yet another thing to miss about Sweet Amoris.

Lysander wrapped me in his strong arms and gave me a greeting kiss. That's when I lost it. I just broke down right there on the front steps of the library and started sobbing on his shoulder.

Lysander patted my hair. "It's all right, Kari. I'm here. What is it?"

I could not quite choke the words out yet, so Lysander guided my trembling body to a bench beneath a weeping willow. He held me silently while I regained my composure. "Did you… how much did you tell your parents about our whole relationship deal?"

"Nothing. They didn't need to know."

"I think I made a big mistake." I explained how I told my parents more than they needed to know, but nothing about Rosalya, Violette, or Leigh. "I did not want to keep secrets from my mom, and I just thought she would be more accepting, like Jade's parents," I finished.

"Hm. Well if she has already made up her mind about me before even meeting me, I don't think there's anything I can do."

"There's still my dad. He seems more OK with the whole concept of me dating two guys. Maybe if he met you, he could convince Mom that you were OK."

Lysander rubbed his chin. "Popular culture stigmatizes the father as the parent most likely to reject a daughter's suitors. However, in your family the roles appear reversed."

"I never thought of it that way. You're right. My mom puts more pressure on me about what not to do and how to act like a lady while my dad just encourages me to be myself."

"What do your parents do for a living?" Lysander asked.

"My mom is a part-time customer service representative for a huge cosmetics company while my dad is a marine biologist. There are a bunch of factories in New Denton, and my dad examines the effects of factory sludge on the oceans while my mom works for a company that pollutes quite heavily. My dad has convinced my mom to convince her employers to discontinue the use of several chemicals. So, my mom is more concerned about what other people think while my dad has a more logical, scientific mind."

Lysander smiled. "That's beautiful. It's good to know that there are exceptions to the norm. It seems like their differences make them a good team."

"So, do you think you can set aside some time to meet them this summer?"

"I'll be at a music camp with Castiel most of the summer, but I'll see what I can do. No promises. I have to think about this first."

"Thanks. Well, I guess we should get to work on that project now."

Lysander and I stood up together, and then strolled into the library holding hands. We went to a computer first to search the library catalog, and wrote down a list of call numbers to find. Then, we divided the list in half and split up to search. There were only four books on the list, anyway. I went to the psychology section to retrieve Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent by Meredith Small and The Handbook of Social Psychology by Gardner Lindzey, Daniel Gilbert, Susan T. Fiske. Lysander went to the anthropology section to find The Excluded Past: Archaelogy in Education and Lost Paradises and the Ethics of Research and Publication.

I found my books without too much trouble. We met back at one of the indoor study tables and nodded at each other. Then, we each flipped open our books to the index and started scanning.

There was only a small section on the Ache in Our Babies, Ourselves, but what I read was enthralling. I read it once, and then a second time to make sure it really said what I thought it said. I looked up at Lysander. He was still reading, and frowning deeply.

I went on to The Handbook of Social Psychology and found that it only had a small amount of material on the Ache as well. I read it and blinked. This totally contradicted what the other book said! I think somebody misinterpreted and twisted things somewhere. Which book was more accurate?

Lysander paused his reading and looked up at me with his intense green and gold eyes. "What is it?" I whispered.

"They're gone. Not completely, but for all intents and purposes. Once they made contact with outside cultures and diseases ravaged the population, there wasn't much left of them."

"No! Why?"

"Just… because."

I was quiet for a moment. Then, I got up the courage to say, "I think they were… like us."

"What do you mean?"

"They didn't put their relationships in a box. One Ache man could be involved with many women, and one Ache woman could be involved with many men. When a child was born, it would be obvious who the mother was, but not so obvious who the father was. Therefore, all the men who brought the mother meat during her pregnancy were all recognized as fathers."

Lysander sucked in a long, deep breath before whispering, "my books didn't say that."

"Only one of my books said it, but neither of them said that they were wiped out."

"It's not the first time this has happened. They were indigenous people, and the region was colonized. We've seen the same story all over the Americas."

Lysander was right. We learned about this in fourth grade. "I should have known," I said softly.

Lysander took my hand and squeezed it. "That's history. There's nothing you can do about it."

"But history repeats itself! Have you ever heard of the free love movement in the sixties? That was wiped out, too. That doesn't bode well for us."

Lysander was silent from a moment. "Truly history does go in cycles, but that might be a good thing. What if we are about to enter into a golden era where loving many people is normal? You never know what the future holds."

That made me feel better. I had a feeling that I would still have a hard time convincing my mom that my boyfriends were all right, but at least now I didn't feel an impending sense of doom. Lysander and I returned to our project, taking and comparing notes between the books. We did not have much to go on, but we knew we could pick up more from the internet later.


	6. The Train

Chapter 5: The Train

Lysander and Jade came to see me off at the train station. Auntie had let them ride along in the car with us, but none of us said a word through the whole trip. Jade seemed particularly awkward around her after his fateful encounter with her.

For the first time in my life, I was not looking forward to the summer. I felt more like a prisoner going to the gallows than a student going home for the summer. There was every possibility that I might never see these two young men who stole my heart again. I had left my "I Look So Good With Your Boyfriend" shirt in my apartment, certain that my mother would not appreciate its significance if she saw it. Instead, I wore my white prestigious school uniform top as a way to cling to the last remaining hope of coming back to Sweet Amoris.

Auntie parked the car and said, "I'll wait here."

"I…" I didn't know if I could go through with this. It would be one thing if Auntie escorted me to my doom herself, but how could I choose to board that train and leave my loves behind on my own volition?

Auntie seemed to read my mind. "Kari, I didn't mean to come down on you so hard earlier. If you were my daughter… the point is that you're not my daughter and for now at least you have to live by your mother's rules. When you are older, you can decide for yourself. I cannot now nor will I ever make any decisions for you. I will, however, wait here until your train departs and drive these boys back home."

I sensed that there was more she wanted to tell me, but she was holding back. It hurt to see my aunt like this. She was usually so free-spirited and full of life. I gave her a long hug. "Thanks, Auntie."

I got out of the car, and the boys helped me with my luggage. We dragged everything up to the platform and stood there hand in hand.

"I think your family means well. I just don't think they get it," Jade said.

"They may never get it," Lysander added. "My parents never got the fact that Leigh quit school early to run a clothing store because that's what made him happy. They're always pressing him to go back and get a degree so he can 'make something of himself.' That's why I never tell them anything they don't need to know; they would pressure_ me_ constantly about it."

I sighed. "Yeah, but I already let the cat out of the bag."

"Stuff it back in," Lysander said.

"How?"

"Tell them I broke up with you."

My whole body went rigid in shock. "You… you're breaking up with me?"

Jade wrapped an arm around me and said, "I'm not."

"I'm not either," Lysander assured me, "but since I'm the one with the tattoo…"

"I… I don't want to have to lie to my mother." I burst into tears, and Lysander put an arm around me as well.

"I know, but think of the alternative," Lysander said.

I choked on my words as I spoke. "This… world is… is sick."

They held me in silence for a moment before Jade said, "We know, and we're here for you always."

"Use that emotion when you tell your mother. She'll believe you that way. She'll think you've learned your lesson and leave you alone. Then, you can be free with us," Lysander suggested.

I tried to pull myself together, but failed. The train was now approaching the platform, and time was slipping away. "I… I love you, Lysander. I love you, Jade."

"I love you, too," they each replied in turn. We exchanged sloppy, wet kisses before I hastily gathered my bags and boarded the train at the last second.

The train started moving before I could sit down. I found myself flung to the floor, weak and unable to stand. I didn't even get to look out the window as the train pulled out of the station.

After the train was moving at a constant velocity, a woman with dirty blond hair and amber eyes like Rosalya's approached me. "Hey, want some help up?" She was dressed in a neat black jogging outfit, and looked very professional.

I realized what an idiot I must look like, sprawled over my baggage with eyes red and puffy from crying. However, her face was more kind and curious than judgmental. I nodded, and let her help me to my feet. She then helped me hoist my larger bags into the overhead compartment.

We sat down at a table with four seats around it. A man with close-cropped red hair and a ruggedly handsome face sat in the seat beside the blonde, quietly observing the whole thing. He appeared about five years older than her and about twenty years older than me. He raised his right hand and said, "Sean."

"I'm Tam," the woman said, "how about you?"

"Kari." I felt compelled to explain how I landed myself in such an awkward position, but she seemed to know already.

"We saw those guys from the window. You're very lucky."

I blinked. "So, you don't think I'm crazy?"

"Of course not. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and get what you need. Some of us are happy in a different kind of family."

I sighed. "Well, my mom doesn't see it that way. To her, those boys are corrupting her sweet, innocent daughter."

Sean looked at me directly. He reminded me of a cross between Leigh and Castiel, but with a deep-seated compassion for others. It wasn't the follow-you-anywhere kind of caring that Ken had, but a quieter and more confident persona. "Does your family make _you_ feel guilty about it?"

"To be honest, I don't have much faith left in what my family taught me. How can we expect to love at all when there are so many restrictions on love? It doesn't make sense."

"You're right," Sean said, "Your mom is not the enemy, though. Her moral instructions are meant to _guide_ you, not dictate everything you do. The society we live in tends to expect everyone to be the same, and your mom is just trying to make sure you can fit well enough into the mold to avoid ridicule. She doesn't know how else to keep you safe."

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

Sean smiled. "I have a mother, too."

We spent the next few minutes talking about family traditions and how we were raised. I learned so much from them in such a short time that by the end of the trip, it felt like we were good friends. They listened intently when I told them my story. I did not know that I could be that interesting to people I just met, but then again their story interested me equally.

Sean and Tam had been neighbors and childhood friends since they could remember. Sean got Tam into his high school dances even though she was still in middle school. When Sean turned eighteen, he joined the army and their budding romance fell to the sidelines. By the time he returned, she had already moved on to someone else. However, they did not let that stop them. Tam had informed the new guy that she still had and always would have a place in her heart for Sean. When he returned, they picked up the pieces and put them back together. This time, the finished puzzle was more complex and beautiful.

The story warmed my heart. Until now, I had never met anyone else in a multi-person relationship. Of course, Tam and Sean faced many of the same challenges I did. They had to tell different stories to different people based on how accepting they were. In fact, they were on a trip to see Sean's extended family and had to leave their "housemate" behind. At least Sean and his metamour had no secrets from each other, and that's what mattered.

By the time we reached New Denton, I had steeled myself against the lie I had to tell my mother. I wept not just for myself, but for the countless others who had to hide the noble truth of what/who made them happy from their families. I bid farewell to the couple I had met on the train and hoped to see them again, but I knew that the chances of that were slim.

**Author's Note:** I've been playing with some images and put together two illustrations for this chapter. You can find them on my facebook writer profile or on the My Candy Love website if you are interested.


	7. Lying

**Author's Note:** The theme song for this chapter is "Now That You're Gone" by David Rovics.

Chapter 6: Lying

I tumbled off the train and into my mother's arms. This wasn't the first time I had come home from a long school year, so Mother was shocked to see my eyes red and raw.

"Kari… what happened?"

I let loose and bawled like a baby. I still had to build up the strength to actually utter the lie. I had to accept that Mom would never meet Lysander, never understand how I felt about him. There were thousands and perhaps millions of other people like us out there who had been silenced. If there were two on the train, there could be another one in that coffee shop on the corner. My mother's boss or butcher or hairdresser could be one. I had a feeling that there were many more of us out there, but nobody could ever count exactly how many because of our silence.

My dad stepped up and took my luggage while my mom held my head to her breast. She guided me to the car and sat in the back seat with me while I moped in silence. Dad put my bags in the trunk and started the engine. I stared out the window while Mom buckled my seatbelt and squeezed my hand.

After several more minutes of rehearsing it in my head, I decided to use a monotone whisper. "Lysander broke up with me."

This did not surprise my mother at all. "Oh sweetie. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

I kept my gaze fixed on the trees and houses passing by the window. _No mom, it didn't happen at all. Your little girl is a heathen freak, an outcast_, I thought.

When we reached home, I went straight to my room and shut myself inside. There was no lock on the door, no privacy. I just had to figure out how to survive two months of this miserable existence while still giving my family reason to send me back to Sweet Amoris.

Dad knocked on the door. I knew it was him because he always knocked and Mom didn't. "Come in."

Dad sat quietly at my desk chair while I buried my face in my pillows. "I have a feeling there's more to this story."

I twitched, but said nothing.

"Don't worry. I won't say anything. You're entitled to lead your own life the way you want. I just don't understand how one guy can bring you down so hard, especially when you have another. You're too strong-willed for that." My father paused for a few moments. "Did he do something to you? Something other than breaking up with you that I should be concerned about?"

"No. No it's not him. It's the rest of the world. It's just so ugly."

"Did someone else do something to hurt you?"

I was silent for a long time before I said, "Yeah… Mom... what she said."

"Do you want to talk to her?"

"No!" I said sharply, "the less I talk to her, the better. She's already proven that she doesn't understand."

"OK." Dad lingered for a while before he stood and squeezed my shoulder. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you." With that, he left the room.

Dad had not believed my lie because he had actually _listened_ when I was telling my parents about my boyfriends for the first time. He was confused as well, but he was more set on helping me than making me see the error of my ways. In my mom's mind, only she knew what was best for me and had to prove herself right. She had triumphed and she was satisfied, but my dad knew better.

I felt a light buzzing at my hip and pulled out my phone. There was a message for me.

Jade: Are you OK?

Me: Yes.

Jade: Can you talk?

Me: Not on the phone, but messages are safe.

Jade: Good. That's what we figured. Just in case, Lys suggests that you erase all messages when you're done. He'll also be using Rosa's phone to talk to you.

That made me smile. My boyfriends were really smart, especially when they put their heads together. A few moments later, I got another message.

Rosalya: Hey. How was your trip?

Me: Pretty good, considering. I met some interesting people on the train.

Rosalya: Interesting how?

"Kari, dinner time!" Mom called as she busted into my room. "Hey, who are you talking to?"

"Rosalya, one of my friends from school."

"That's a pretty name. Does she know Violette?"

"Yes. We eat together at lunch."

"Good. Well, tell your friend that you have to go before dinner gets cold."

Me: Mom's calling me to dinner. I'll tell you more later. I miss you!

I quickly deleted all my messages except the most innocent ones and the most recent ones from "Rosalya." I had heard horror stories about parents checking their kids' phones and having the capability to retrieve deleted messages. Just in case, I wanted to leave enough messages to sate my mother's curiosity.

**Closing Note:** I have a stamp for fans and a poll in the MCL discussion thread for this. You can also find the stamp on DeviantART.


	8. After Dinner

Chapter 7: After Dinner

That night, dinner was a silent ordeal. My mother tried to cheer me up by suggesting that I see my old friends, but all I wanted to do was get back to Jade and Lysander. I excused myself as soon as humanly possible and went back to my room. I found more messages waiting for me on my phone.

Violette: Jade told me what happened with Lysander. I'm sorry.

Me: I'll be fine. Just don't mention that name again in case my mom… you know…

Jade: So, do you still want me to meet your parents?

Me: Yes. I think that it would help.

Violette: I understand. So, how's everything else?

Jade: When would be a good time for me to visit?

Rosalya: I still have the project board from our history project. Do you want it?

Overwhelmed by the number of people and topics of discussion, I put everyone in a chatroom.

Me: I just want to go back home to Sweet Amoris.

Violette: You mean you don't feel at home with your parents?

Jade: Is it really that bad?

Rosalya: It's only for two months. I'll see you again next year.

Jade: And I'll see you again sooner than that.

Me: My parents are trying hard. They really are. They just don't get me. Dad seems to get it, kinda. Mom tries too hard to get me to see things her way.

Rosalya: At least you have parents who care. Some people don't.

Me: Like Castiel?

Rosalya: Yes.

Violette: My parents would probably react like yours if they found out I was even dating one boy.

Jade: Maybe you should try taking the highball approach like Kari did.

Rosalya: Interesting concept.

Me: Yeah, you could tell your mom that you two are together. Then she'd be relieved when she found out it was just Jade.

Violette: Me and Rosalya?

_Rosalya has left the chatroom._

Me: Oh. You don't know, do you?

Jade: I'll tell you later.

Violette: I'm getting a PM. Hold on.

_Violette has left the chatroom._

Me: So, um… how about we make it the middle of summer, next month?

Jade: That sounds like a plan. Isn't there a beach near you?

_Rosalya has joined the conversation._

Violette has joined the conversation.

Violette: OK, I get it now.

Me: We were just talking about the beach in New Denton.

Violette: There's a beach near you?

Rosalya: Actually, my brother and I were thinking of taking a trip out there. Can you meet us there?

My fingers tingled as an idea formed in my mind. My parents always wanted to know where I was going and whom I would be with. They thought of Violette as a good girl, so if only…

Me: Can you bring Violette with you?

Rosalya: I don't see why not.

Me: Good, because that's the only way I'll be able to get out of the house alone.

Violette: You want me to go to the beach with you?

Me: Sure. It'll be fun.

Violette: I… I sunburn easily.

Rosalya: We'll pack lots of sunscreen and one of those big sun umbrellas for you.

Violette: OK

Rosalya: Oh, do you want me to bring that project board on the Ache to you?

Me: No, you keep it. I think it would end up as a fire starter here.

Rosalya: That's unfortunate. I was hoping it might help.

Me: No, we're past that stage now.

After that, the conversation flattened into trivialities. Either Rosalya took the phone back from Lysander, or he developed a sudden interest in nail polish. I don't remember when we logged off, but by that time I had no trouble getting to sleep.


	9. Time Enough for Cleaning

Chapter 8: Time Enough for Cleaning

Summer passed more quickly than I thought it would. My parents kept me busy with chores, and my mom taught me how to prepare several delicious meals and other domestic tasks. I was still counting the days until Jade's visit, but at least I had something productive to do. Maybe I could do some cooking for the boys and my metamours when I got back.

"Mom, Jade's coming today. He'll be at the train station in four hours," I told her happily.

"That's today? Eek! This place is a mess."

I looked around the house. Sure there was a little clutter and a small stack of unsorted mail, but honestly the place was neater than Jade's house. "It'll be fine, Mom."

"No it won't," she insisted, "we can't have people thinking that we're slobs. What would you think if you walked into somebody's house and saw this mess?"

Personally, I would not think much of it, but I knew better than to argue with her at this point. The sooner I started cleaning, the sooner she would calm down. "Fine. I'll sweep the floor."

"No, do that last. Dust first, and wipe down the furniture with lemon oil."

While Mom cleared her paperwork and went through her mail, I dusted and oiled the coffee table, the TV stand, the bookshelves, the dining table, and chairs. I worked quickly and tossed the oily rag into a laundry basket when I was done.

"Now the bathrooms," Mom said.

I groaned and went to find the most toxic cleaning supplies in the house. How prastic! Mom should know better than to buy this stuff. There had to be a better way to do this. However, with so little time I could not waste it nagging my mother about all the harmful ingredients in this stuff. The best I could do was to open the windows and minimize my exposure to the fumes by working quickly. I had all three of the bathrooms spotless in record time.

I went back out to the living room to find my mother with her nose stuck in a magazine from the mail pile. She glanced up. "You're not wearing _that_, are you?"

I glanced down at my shorts and tank top. "What's wrong with it?"

"Put on something nice."

"Mom, we have to go pick up Jade soon and we still haven't swept the floor."

Mom looked up at the clock. "You're right! Where did the time go?"

I knew the answer to that question, but I knew that I would get in trouble for sassing her if I said anything. Then, I would get a lecture and we would be even more late. Mom swept the floor while I threw on a green top with a red pleated shirt and green sandals. Then I grabbed my makeup kit and called, "Mom, I'm ready. I'll be in the car," in the vain hope that it would get her out the door faster. I would rather be there to greet Jade on time than look like a movie star, but I didn't have much control over the situation. At least putting on makeup in the car gave me something to do while I waited.

I took my learning permit and Mom's keys. Then I went outside and got into Mom's Volvo. I adjusted the seat and side mirrors for driving and turned the rearview mirror down so I could do my makeup. I would place money on the fact that Mom was doing her makeup inside the nice air-conditioned house. I sighed and rolled down the window so that the car would not be so hot.

I took my time creating the perfect setting to highlight my eyes, which were blue with gold flecks, making them appear sea green to most people. I even added a layer of gold glitter on top. When I finished, Mom still had not come out. I sighed and put the rearview mirror back in place. Then I tapped my fingers for five minutes. Still no Mom. My phone buzzed.

Jade: I'm here, where are you?

I got out of the car and went back into the house. Mom was frantically rifling through all the papers she had so carefully stacked earlier and making a mess. "I can't find my keys!"

I dangled them in front of her. "I told you I would be in the car."

Mom stared at me, embarrassed. "Oh. That's right. You did."

"Can we go now? Poor Jade is already waiting for us."

"All right!"

I sent Jade a quick text message to tell him that we were on our way before turning off my phone. I did not want it distracting me while I was driving. Mom got into the front passenger's seat, and off we went. Traffic was unfortunately heavy at this time of day, but on the bright side, concentrating on the other drivers kept me from worrying about Jade.

I pulled neatly into a parking space at the train station and shut the engine off. I put on the parking brake and handed Mom the keys. While I could drive with her watching me, the terms of my permit stated that I could not have a minor as a passenger until six months after I got my permanent license and Jade was still seventeen.

I walked around the train station until I spotted a head of green hair under a small tree beside a factory. If it wasn't for the green hair, I probably would not have spotted him. He had a heavy tan from all his summer garden projects. Jade was leaning against the old brick building chatting with an old lady in a funny hat. I called his name, and he looked up.

"Kari!" Jade ran to greet me with a hug and shower of kisses. Despite the sweltering summer heat and beating sun, I felt absolute bliss being in his arms again.

My mom watched from a distance and gave me the eye, but did not comment.

Jade picked up his small overnight bag with one hand and held mine with the other. We walked up to Mom, and Jade let go to shake her hand. "Glad to meet you, Mrs. Rakitan."

Mom shook his hand with polite dignity, but did not smile. I think she feared the coming of this day too much to actually enjoy it. Her little girl was growing up too fast.

We went back to the car and tossed Jade's overnight bag in the trunk. I got in the back seat and Jade was about to get in with me, but Mom insisted that he ride shotgun. I knew what this meant; Mom wanted to interrogate him. I shot Jade a worried glance.

Once we were settled and back on the road, Mom asked, "So Jade, what do your parents do for a living?"

"My mom is a financial consultant and my dad is a mechanic."

"A car mechanic?"

"Sometimes. He made our old Saab into an electric vehicle, but he also does bicycles and washing machines and all sorts of antique contraptions."

"Antiques, huh? Do people pay good money to get those fixed?"

"Not really. He does most of the work for public museums, but occasionally a private collector will come to him. He gets most of his money fixing equipment for local farmers, actually."

"Hm. What did you say your mother does again?"

It went on like this for a while. Even after we arrived home, Mom kept bombarding him with questions and making judgments about him based on his answers. Thankfully, she did not ask about Lysander, Violette, Rosalya, or Leigh.

When Dad came home from work, she pulled me into the kitchen to help her make dinner while Dad got to know Jade. "I'm not sure this boy will be a good provider for you. You have to think of your future."

I tied on an apron and got to work chopping up potatoes. I thought of telling her that I could have two or three providers if I wanted, but bit my tongue. Instead, I simply reminded her that money was not the most important thing in life.

"Yes, but what about when you have kids and you need to provide for their future?"

Mom had a point. It wasn't that I personally was planning on having kids, but she wanted grandchildren. Unlike Jade, I was an only child because shortly after I was born, something went wrong with my mom's plumbing. That's also why she had extra money to spend on me and spoiled me with the best education possible at Sweet Amoris. She did not like to talk about it much, but since I was her only possible source of grandchildren, I was under a lot of pressure. I wish she could see things in a different light. If Lysander, Jade, and Leigh all married Rosalya, Violette and me, then she could consider Rosalya and Violette's children her grandchildren as well.

"Kari, you're letting the potatoes burn."

"Oh." I turned off the heat. I had been so lost in thought that I had neglected my cooking responsibilities. Cooking came easily to me and I could do it on automatic most of the time, but if I got too deep in thought, things could get dangerous. Thankfully, the potatoes weren't completely ruined. I scooped the good ones off the top and put them into a glass serving bowl. Then, I drained the green beans and put them in a smaller, matching serving bowl. All our dishes matched; Mom saw to it.

I set the table with white plates, glass candleholders, and white napkins in glass rings. It was elegant, but boring. When I had everything on the table, I called Jade and Dad to eat with us and lit two candles.

Jade was about to take a seat in Mom's chair when she barked, "What are you doing?"

Jade stood back with a nervous expression. "I'm sorry. Did I miss something?"

"That's _my_ chair. You'll sit there." She pointed to the chair beside it."

"Oh. Um, thanks." Jade took a seat.

For a moment, I wished that I could put Violette in Jades body as we suffered through this ordeal. Violette knew all the rules of etiquette and could pass Mom's inspection with flying colors. I wondered if Lysander would have fared better than Jade at a family meal, but it was too late to find out now.

My dad patted Jade on the back before sitting down. "Don't mind her. She's territorial. I'm not even allowed in the kitchen."

"OK. Well, it all looks really good," Jade replied.

We passed the serving bowls around the table until our plates were full. Then, Jade bowed his head for a few moments in silent thanks. Strangely, this was one thing my family never did. Mom's expression was hard to read here, but afterwards her attitude towards Jade seemed to soften.

"So Jade," Dad began, "I just remembered I have a buddy in the forestry service. He might be able to get you an internship during college if you want."

"Really? That sounds wonderful, Mr. Rakitan."

Relief spread through me as the conversation progressed. Dad had really taken a liking to Jade while Mom and I were in the kitchen. Slowly but surely, Dad's positive attitude rubbed off on Mom. By the end of the meal, she was much more cordial.

Mom brought us a dessert of strawberry shortcake with a smile. "You know, when Kari first said that she had dessert with you, I thought it meant something else," she joked, "I see now that you're not that kind of guy."

"What kind of guy?" Jade asked.

"Exactly. It's better if you don't know."

I rolled my eyes, but only my dad saw. Jade knew what Mom meant, but did not see it as a filthy thing and neither did I. In reality, it was better if _Mom_ didn't know. Thankfully, she was satisfied enough by Jade's response not to pry further.


	10. Thankfulness

Warning: Implied violence, love, and other questionable themes which have been left ambiguous.

Chapter 9: Thankfulness

After dinner, Mom pulled me aside to make up the guest bedroom. We always kept it neat and tidy, but we had not changed the sheets since Auntie's visit last week. Mom got some fresh sheets from the cabinet and helped me make the bed.

"He's a nice boy, but I think he needs some guidance. Can you be the woman of the household and whip hi into shape?" Mom asked.

"Uh, Mom… We're nowhere near talking about marriage."

"Yes, but I distinctly recall Jade saying that his mother was the head of the household and she thought that he needed a strong woman in his life."

"True." Jade really had not held anything back from my mom other than details about our other relationships.

"So, are you not a strong woman?"

"I'm a teenager, Mom."

Mom tucked in the corners of the midnight blue comforter and smiled softly. "Right. I sometimes forget that you're still going through phases and figuring out who you are. At least you left that free love nonsense behind you."

I said nothing. My jaw simply clamped shit. I wanted to correct her, but we had already been through this and I knew that she would not listen. She had her own ideas about how things were supposed to be. Actually, it was hard to say if those ideas were originally hers, but they came from somewhere.

Mom beaconed Jade to the guest room, showed him where everything was, and bid him goodnight. I gave him a little kiss before Mom rushed me off to my own room where I changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth. She tucked me into bed and kissed me goodnight. At the door, she turned back to look at me as if she was about to say something, but thought better of it. I guess she did not want to plant any ideas in my head. She should have known that those ideas were already there.

I lay in bed listening intently to the sounds of my parents getting ready for bed. The clanking of dishes in the kitchen, complaints from Dad about his bad back, and some quieter murmurings interspersed with my name, which were all muffled by the start of our automatic dishwasher, reached my ears. Then, I heard footsteps approaching my door and pretended to be asleep. A little light filtered through my eyelids for a few seconds, and was gone again. I waited for a while longer, tense and counting the seconds.

When I was sure that the coast was clear, I crept out of bed slowly, moving less than a centimeter per second so it would not creak. Still, it did. I winced every time I heard a spring pop up, released from my weight. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally had both feet on the carpet.

I thought of leaving a lump of pillows to simulate a body under my comforters, but my parents had already checked on me and I did not want to have to explain why I had left them there if they caught me out of bed and marched me back to my room. Besides, the guest room was on the way to the kitchen and I was just going out for a glass of water in case anyone asked.

As I opened the door, something fluttered onto the back of my hand. I could not see it in the dark, but it sure felt like a spider. I jumped away from the door and resisted the urge to_sqee_ in disgust. I crouched on all fours for a second, and then imagined the thing crawling towards me. I did not mind spiders during the day, but at night I knew that one false move could earn me a nasty bite. With trembling fingers, I found my phone and used it to light the carpet in front of me. I examined the area closely and found no spiders, but wait! A piece of paper lay on the carpet beside the door. Did Jade creep over her first and leave me a note?

I unfolded the paper and read it under the light of my phone. That was Dad's handwriting!

_Dear Kari,_

I know that there is nothing I can say or do to stop you from doing whatever you have planned, but please, whatever you do, stay safe. There are some supplies in the upper left cabinet of the guest bathroom, behind the spare towels. Use them if you need them.

Love,  
Dad

A dozen questions flashed through my mind. How did Dad know that I would sneak out? When did he buy supplies? Why did he think I might need them? The sentiment was touching, but I wasn't planning on needing them in the first place. Well, I guess it was better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

I slipped the note inside a book that I was reading for temporary safekeeping and continued on my way. The house was quiet, so much so that I could hear the clock ticking on the mantle. The dishwasher had stopped shortly before I left my room. I rotated the knob on Jade's door with care and pushed it open.

With the help of a little light from my phone, I tiptoed up to Jade's ear and whispered, "Hey! Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he said, "It's hard to sleep. The sounds here are so different from what I'm used to."

I climbed into bed with him and snuggled up close. The guest room was farther away from my parents' room than mine, so I worried less about creaking. "What are the sounds like in Emerald Haven?"

Jade put an arm around me and stroked my hair. "It's not so much Emerald Haven, but my house in particular. The garden in the back yard hosts a diverse array of flora, which attracts nocturnal insects and rodents. The rodents attract owls and the insect attract bats, so there's always something happening in our back yard at night. If it gets too quiet, that means that something or some_one_ is scaring off the animals."

"You mean like an intruder?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Did that ever happen to you?"

"Once when I was little, some guy in a mask used a glass cutter on our window. We all felt that something was wrong and woke up. I wandered out to the living room and found, well…" Jade shuddered and I held him tightly. I pressed my ear to his chest, and found his heart skipping around frantically.

"It's OK. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I assured him.

"I think maybe it would help to get it off my chest," Jade said, "if you think you can handle it."

"Of course," I said, "I'll listen."

Jade then proceeded to tell me about his traumatic experience with the burglar. I was impressed that he handled it so well and did not let it affect his gentle, caring outlook on life. In fact, it brought his family closer together and made them treasure their precious time on this planet even more. "Mom spent four months in the hospital, and Dad and I rode our bicycles there to see her every day, except when it was raining. We took the Saab on those days. That was back when it still ran on gasoline. When we picked Mom up in it, that's when the engine blew. Mom couldn't go to work without a car and convinced her boss to let her telecommute. Thankfully, her boss was very understanding even after all that time she spent in the hospital. The thing is that we saw so much kindness in the world even after what happened to us. That's why we always give thanks before eating."

"Wow," I said softly, "nothing like that ever happened to my family. I guess that's why my mom seems to take things for granted and places strict expectations on me. Dad's different, though. He was more accepting of my choices back when I told Mom and him about Lysander and you. He seems to understand me better. I wonder sometimes if he has been through something Mom hasn't."

"Maybe," Jade replied, "I guess you'll have to ask him."

"Hm." I clung to Jade for several more minutes before saying, "I should probably get back to my room before Mom notices I'm gone. Goodnight, Jade." I gave him a sweet, lingering kiss before departing.

Once back in my room, I did not sleep easily. I tossed and turned wondering how this world could be so messed up that we needed a tragedy to make us appreciate what we had in life. Maybe it wasn't that at all, though. Maybe Jade's story just made it _seem_ that way. Maybe it was all just individual wiring, and some of us would be kind, loving people no matter _what_ happened to us. I bounced these ideas around in my head for so long that I did not realize the transition from wakefulness to sleep.

**Author's Note:**The theme song for this chapter is "Affirmation" by Savage Garden


	11. Breakfast

Chapter 10: Breakfast

Mom shook me awake the next morning. "Kari, get up and make your guest breakfast!"

"Umflurmlug?" I muttered.

"There's a recipe for scones sitting on the counter. Hop to it!"

I stumbled out of bed and towards the door.

"Now now, you still have to get dressed first. You can't let your guest see you in your pajamas."

I almost retorted that he _had_ already seen me in my pajamas, but thought better of it. Instead, I dug around in my closet until Mom left the room to give me some privacy. I pulled out a green sundress and slipped it on before I dragged myself into the kitchen and got to work on the scones. I put on an apron and measured flour, butter, baking powder, and everything else the book told me to use in the proper order, and then mixed everything together by hand. Then, I dusted the countertop with flour and kneaded cranberries into the dough. I divided the dough in half and formed it into two large circles. Then, I cut the circles into wedges and put them on two cookie sheets.

Oh great! I had forgotten to preheat the oven. Thankfully, Jade wasn't up yet and I had plenty of time. I turned on the oven and looked for something else to do. There were some strawberries and melon in the refrigerator, so I grabbed those and threw together a fruit salad. I paused to put the scones in the oven, and then set the table while Mom made coffee and bacon.

We had everything ready by the time Jade came wandering out in his pajamas. Mom turned up her nose at Jade's attire, while Jade turned up his nose at the bacon. The mood mellowed when Dad came out and mentioned that the coffee was shade-grown. My parents were certainly yuppies, but at least they supported rainforest preservation.

Jade loved my scones and fruit salad. Since his dad cooked most of the meals at his house, he did not take my cooking skills for granted just because I was female. Since my mom taught me most of what I know, his compliments went to her as well. This helped to ingratiate him to her, and Mom seemed to forgive him for the fact that he did not eat her bacon.

Then, Mom asked a doozy of a question. "So, Kari tells me that you know Violette?"

Jade swallowed hard and turned white. I knew that the reflex was involuntary, but why oh why did he have to do that? "Um, yeah," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Mom eyed Jade suspiciously. "Sweet girl, isn't she?"

"Yes."

A devious glint formed in Mom's eye, but the rest of her face remained placid. "Kari mentioned that Violette was going to come for a visit to the beach, and there's a really nice boy who lives down the street I think she should meet."

_Oh ©‡◊ᵱ!_ A bead of sweat formed on Jade's forehead as he said, "OK."

"In fact, she should be coming next week. From what I understand, Violette will be riding with Kari's friend Rosalya. Maybe you could tag along and help introduce Violette to our neighbor?"

"Oh yeah, no problem," Jade said.

_₱↑∏ᵠ!_ Mom assumed that there would be space in the car because I had only told her that Violette and Rosalya were coming. Presumably, there was space for five people in Leigh's car, but it would be awfully cramped in the back seat. I tried to imagine how that would work with Jade squished between Rosalya and Violette. Then, I remembered that Jade could also drive. Maybe they could rotate places a few times. That would not be so bad. I imagined Rosalya happily sandwiched between Lysander and Leigh.

"What are you smiling about, Kari?" Mom asked.

My brain fumbled for an excuse. "I was just thinking about our neighbor Timothy and how he and Violette would make such a cute couple."

Jade forced a smile. "Yeah, I guess we'll find out."

"Oh, and don't tell her I'm trying to hook her up with someone. That would be awkward," Mom said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You know, relationships should just happen naturally."

Dad glanced at me and shrugged._ Great. Mom was trying to hook my metamour up with a "boy next door"._ I think that what was _really_ going on was that she somehow suspected Jade's involvement with Violette and wanted to probe deeper into the matter. I've heard it said that parents _always_ know, but in this case she was speculating on children who were not her own. Well, I guess we would all have to play our cards right on this one to beat her. Thankfully, there were more of us than there were of her and _we_ had text messaging to plan ahead.

We finished eating breakfast, and Jade went off to change and pack while Mom and I cleaned up the table and kitchen. Then, Mom drove us to the train station.

"See you next week," I told him as I gave him a farewell kiss.

"Yeah, about that… we'll talk later," he said into my ear.

I watched him board the train and glance back at me with his gentle smile and worried green eyes. Then, I was stranded all alone with my mother. I had to endure her probing questions all the way to the car. Thankfully, I was driving. I almost hit someone when I was backing out of the parking space, so that convinced her to stop talking and let me concentrate on the road.


	12. Different Kind of Innocence

**Author's Note: **This chapter is in third person for a change with some script to represent text messages. I tried to mimic the chaotic nature of a real chatroom. This also includes a very long flashback. I considered making a separate story for the flashback alone, but decided to keep it here.

**Chapter Theme Song:** "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from "The Sound of Music"

Chapter 11: A Different Kind of Innocence

Rosalya bounded up the hill where Lysander was writing in his notebook under a tree and crept up behind him. Until this point, Lysander had been sitting there peacefully jotting down thoughts and lyrics. Rosalya peered over his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?"

Lysander snapped his notebook shut. "Could you please give me some warning before you do that next time?"

"Aw! What would be the fun in that? How else am I supposed to know if you're fantasizing about me?" Rosalya twisted onto her back and slid her head into his lap.

Lysander took a strand of her long white hair and wove it between his fingers. "Why fantasize when we can simply enjoy our time together?"

Rosalya's amber eyes widened with happiness. "OK then. Let's have some fun now."

"What kind of fun?"

"You know. There's something I've been wanting to try for a while." Rosalya wiggled her hips and arched her back. "I read about a few new poses."

"Why are you coming to me with this and not Leigh?"

"Leigh's too busy and he's already tried most of the poses anyway. I think Jade would like them, but he's still on the train and I want to try them out with you first."

"Hm. Good point. I'd rather not do it outside where someone can see us, though. We might get grass stains. I think we'll have to discuss this a bit more first and go shopping for supplies."

"Already did- hey!" Rosalya reached into the bag she had been carrying. Instead of pulling out the items she originally sought, she grasped a vibrating phone. She looked at the screen. "Emergency conference? _Now?_"

"What is it?" Lysander asked.

"Kari. Let's see…" Rosalya's fingers flew over the phone, and in no time she had logged into the chat room. "Oh dear."

"Let me see," Lysander said.

Rosalya passed Lysander the phone, and he scrolled to the beginning of the conversation.

Jade: I have to go with you all to New Denton Beach. Is there room in the car?

Leigh: Theoretically, yes.

Violette: What's happening?

Kari: Mom wants to hook you up with our neighbor, and she invited Jade to introduce you to him. I think she suspects.

Jade: That woman has me in a corner.

Lysander glanced down at Rosalya. "Interesting. Think any of your yoga poses will help three people stay comfortable in the back seat of a car for a few hours?"

Rosalya grinned broadly: "Of course!"

Lysander started inputting a response using Rosalya's phone.

Violette: You mean Mrs. Rakitan wants to set me up on a date?

Kari: Yes, but technically you're not supposed to know that. Pretend we never told you.

Rosalya: We should all be able to fit. I assume we're still sticking with the original plan of dropping Leigh and me at the beach before picking you up, then?

Violette: What if I don't like the guy?

Jade: What if you do?

Kari: Yes. Rosalya, Violette, and Jade should be the only ones picking up me and the guy.

Violette: Who is this guy?

Leigh: As long as he doesn't make a mess in my car, I don't care.

Kari: He's an Eagle Scout, literally.

Jade: I joined Boy Scouts for a little while, but it was such a hypocritical organization. They pretended to care about conservation, but then they'd turn right around and use Styrofoam plates at their events. Do you know how long it takes those things to decompose?

"What's happening now?" Rosalya asked.

"We're talking about this guy Violette is supposed to meet and whether or not she should actually date him," Lysander replied.

"Of course she should! If she won't date him, I'll give him a shot."

Lysander was already typing a reply message.

Rosalya: Don't trust him. We have no idea what he'll say to Kari's parents.

Violette: Don't Scouts have some sort of honor code?

Jade: Yes, but not many of them follow it. Even if this one did, it wouldn't apply here.

Violette: What if this guy is different, like us?

Lysander stared hard at the phone, trying to figure out how to keep Violette from making possibly the biggest mistake of her life.

"Let me see that" Rosalya said.

"No!"

It was too late. Rosalya had snatched her phone back from Lysander and started reading. Her fingers flew as she spoke. "Come on, LysBaby. Let the girl have a little fun."

Rosalya: Give him a chance and see what happens. YOLO!

Jade: Don't do it!

Rosalya: Why not? You jealous, JMan?

Kari: Wait, you switched phones, didn't you?

Violette: ….

Jade: No, I'm not jealous. I'm just expecting the worst. This guy is probably some selfish, greedy jerk who wants Vi all to himself!

Kari: Vi, you can make your own decision here, but just keep in mind that my mom is very judgmental.

Rosalya: C'mon, Vi! Take a chance. Live boldly.

"What are you telling that poor girl?" Lysander wrestled the phone out of Rosalya's hands when he saw the devious smile on her face.

Jade: What happened to "don't trust him?"

Kari: How about you just meet him and see what he's like first?

Rosalya: Sorry, that was actually her there. I'm back. This whole thing seems like a bad idea to me. What if he sees me at the beach and tells Kari's mother?

Kari: Vi, are you still there?

Violette: Yeah, just confused.

Leigh wandered up the hill. "Hey, I was planning on not disturbing you for a few hours, but since you were both online with only one phone, I figured you might like to use mine. I don't have much to add to the conversation."

Lysander stared at the face in his lap. "You told him we were going to…?"

Rosalya beamed. "Of course! I tell him _everything_," she rose lithely and floated to Leigh, "because he lets me speak my mind." She stood on her toes to kiss him, and then took his phone in her hand. With the other, she led him to the grassy hill and plopped down between the brothers on her stomach.

Leigh cuddled up beside her to look at the screen with her while Lysander just sighed heavily.

Jade: Good point. We can't let this guy meet the others.

Rosalya: I could stay home.

Kari: I was really hoping to see you again.

Leigh: I could distract him while you run off to a romantic sea cave and make sure he never finds you.

Jade: How does that work?

Rosalya: Oh no.

Leigh: You know how it works. You've fallen for my bodacious charm before )

Jade: Excuse me?

Rosalya: She has his phone.

Jade: That explains it.

Violette: So if Rosalya is distracting the guy and Kari runs off to some cave with you know who, what do the rest of us do?

Leigh: Run off to the other cave and have fun there.

Kari: We don't even have _one_ cave at the beach.

Leigh: OK. Make out in the car then.

Rosalya: All of us?

Jade: What's the point in going to the beach if we don't get to actually play on the beach?

Leigh: OK, I'll keep the brothers in the car while the rest of you play on the beach, unless this new guy is into group things, of course.

"Rosalya, you're going too far now," Lysander warned.

Rosalya turned her amber eyes on him with a pout.

"It's OK. We trust these people right?" Leigh asked.

"Yes, but I'm sure they have boundaries. Besides, we're talking about how to deal with Mr. Eagle Scout. Now is not the time for that."

"Hm. We'll have to keep it in mind for later, then," Rosalya said before looking back down at Leigh's phone.

Violette: I think I should just meet him and be myself. He might want to be just friends, anyway. If something more develops, we'll try to find out how he feels about the overall concept of dating many people at the same time before revealing ourselves or letting things progress further.

Kari: Great idea, Violette. That sounds like a wise plan.

Jade: What happens if he doesn't want to share?

Violette: I'm sticking with you no matter what.

Jade: 3

Rosalya: That still doesn't explain how my brother and I fit into the picture.

Kari: Why don't you hang out at the beach and pretend we just met? We can sneak kisses behind towels and stuff.

Leigh: Oh, that sounds fun!

Rosalya: I guess that works.

Jade: What if he catches you?

Leigh: We invite him to join the fun.

Kari: True. We could say that we're just trying to improve our skills and giving each other lessons. Actually, he is cute and I wouldn't mind kissing him a couple of times myself.

Rosalya: Let's hope it doesn't come to that in the first place. More likely, he'll think we're nuts and tell the whole town.

Kari: Luckily, I'm not going to school in this town. My parents also like Jade, so I'm pretty sure they'll send me back to Sweet Amoris.

Violette: What if the rumor gets back to your parents?

Kari: All the more reason to send me back to Sweet Amoris! They wouldn't want me to have to endure the shame of sticking around. Oh, and Jade if that does happen could you put on a show for my mom?

Jade: What kind of show?

Kari: Pretend to be jealous and upset, but forgive me.

Jade: I suppose I could do that.

Kari: Thanks.

Rosalya: Well, hopefully you won't have to tell you parents another lie to cover up the first one.

Kari: True. Speaking of which, I need to delete this conversation ASAP. Mom's calling me out to lunch.

All of the chatroom participants said their goodbyes and logged off to delete the session.

Lysander turned to Rosalya and sighed. "You know, as much as I try to protect you from the judgment of the outside world, I sill appreciate you for who you are. I mean if you weren't this wild, adventurous person, we would never be together."

"I know, LysBaby."

Like a cat, Rosalya stretched both of her paws up to one of Lysander's shoulders and nuzzled his cheek.

"Should I leave?" Leigh asked.

"I'd like you to stay," Rosalya said.

-Flashback, Part 1-

Rosalya skipped into Leigh's clothing shop wearing a tank top with a cupcake on it and short shorts with vertical pink stripes. She glanced around the racks of Victorian and modern clothing until she saw the tall, dark-haired owner adjusting the clothing on a mannequin. "Heeey," she called.

Leigh looked up. "Can I help you?"

"That depends," Rosalya said deviously, "do you know how to sew?"

"Yes."

"Oh good! Most of the people in the clothing shops I've visited don't know the first thing about sewing. They just order whatever's hot from China and stick it on the racks. Even this free outfit the school gave me comes from China."

Leigh finished fiddling with the mannequin and set it aside. "We order clothing as well, but it comes from all over the world, not just one place."

"Well, I'm looking for something unique, something with which I can set my own trend. Do you think you can manage that? Make me a custom outfit?"

Without even blinking, the young store owner said, "Certainly. Do you know your measurements?"

"Measurements?"

"Yes. Bust, waist, hip, inseam, etc."

The blank look on Rosalya's face told Leigh all he needed to know.

"In order to make something for you, I need take a tape measure and record the dimensions of your body. This process can be awkward or uncomfortable for some people. Do you consent?"

Rosalya's golden eyes danced. "Oh certainly! That sounds like fun."

_Fun?_ Leigh had never gotten that response from a customer before. However, once he got her alone in the back room and started taking her measurements, he quickly figured out why. The process took more time than usual, and they kept getting sidetracked, but he could not say that he regretted one second of the experience. She ignited something in him that he never knew existed.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but I can't help but wonder . . . why me?" Leigh said as he finished jotting down her measurements.

"Why not you?" Rosalya replied. "Now that we know each other better, you should be able to make a better outfit for me." Rosalya gave him one last little kiss and started making her way to the door.

"Wait! When do I get to see you again?"

Rosalya flipped her head to look back at him, her long, white hair cascading over her shoulders. "You tell me. You wrote down my phone number on that form. Use it." With that, she left. Leigh stared after her, stunned at how much had happened so fast.

-Flasback, Part 2-

Later that evening, the brothers were having a quiet dinner of ramen noodles. They lived with their parents, but their parents traveled often and left the boys alone to prepare dinners for themselves.

"I met someone today," Lysander began.

"OK"

"Your little brother may have just met the love of his life and that's all you have to say?"

"Oh. Sorry. Why didn't you say so? I met someone today, too."

"No kidding! So, what's she like?"

As Leigh described Rosalya, Lysander grew very quiet. How could the same girl who flirted with him in the hallway dash out to make out with his brother that same afternoon? Maybe he had read her signals wrong, or maybe she had read his wrong. Maybe the younger brother had not made his move fast enough for her.

"So, what about your special someone?" Leigh asked.

"Actually, I'm not so sure it's that serious after all. I'll have to think about this some more." Lysander cleared his bowl from the table abruptly and immediately set it into the dishwasher. He then went to his room to jot down some thoughts in his notebook.

-Flashback, Part 3-

The next day at school, Rosalya approached Lysander by the stairway during lunch. "Hey cutie! How's it hanging?"

"What do you mean by _it_?" Lysander asked.

"You _know_," Rosalya replied with a wink.

"I feared as much. Listen, my brother told me what happened. What are your intentions with him?"

"Oh! I like the way you talk. Wait, you have a brother?" Rosalya's eyes glittered with interest.

"Yes. You met him at the clothing shop."

Rosalya looked confused for a moment. "Huh? I thought he was you."

Lysander caught himself smiling, but then realized that the situation had just gotten more complicated. Hopefully Rosalya had simply mistaken one brother for the other because she had not gotten to know them very well yet. However, it could be something more serious like an eyesight problem. If so, she could get herself into a lot of trouble approaching the wrong guys. "Why did you think he was me?"

"Because you two are the cutest guys in town." Rosalya wiggled her hips and leaned toward him. She wrapped her hands around his bicep and looked up at him.

"Wait. Do you want me or my brother?"

"I'll take both of you."

Lysander blinked. Was this girl for real? "I believe you gave Leigh the impression that you would be all his. I'd rather you stick with him and try not to break his heart."

Rosalya's grip on Lysander's arm tightened, and she rubbed her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how he got that impression, but OK. I'll stick with him and try not to break his heart."

Lysander could not understand why this girl was _still_ being so affectionate with him. "By breaking his heart, I mean keep your hands off other guys, including me."

Rosalya pouted. "Now that's just not fair! There are so many great guys out there."

"There are many great girls out there, too. Let's say you started dating Leigh. I mean_seriously_ start dating him. How would you feel about him going out with other girls?"

Rosalya blinked. "Well, as long as they're not vile, manipulative, possessive girls I don't see the problem."

Lysander put a hand on Rosalya's wrist and removed it from his arm. "Some would say that your behavior fits that description."

Rosalya gasped, and hurt flooded her golden eyes. Lysander watched as tears started to fall from her innocent orbs. "How… how could you think that of me?"

Pain tightened around Lysander's chest. He realized that he had judged her too quickly without really giving her a chance to explain herself. "Forgive me. Perhaps I still don't understand."

Just then, Charlotte came walking down the stairs. The bony brunette slowed as she neared the pair and kept her eyes glued to them as she passed. Rosalya still had one hand on Lysander's bicep, and her other wrist gripped by Lysander. They froze awkwardly and stared back at Charlotte, tears still fresh on Rosalya's cheeks. When Charlotte was done scrutinizing them, she stuck up her nose with a "hmph," and continued down the hallway.

After she left, Rosalya's chin quivered and it looked as if she wanted to say something, but did not know how to put it into words. Another set of tears dripped down her face.

Lysander let go of her wrist and brushed the tears off her face. His other arm encircled her waist. "Let's talk about this some more. I want to find out more about you. We should go somewhere private, though." Lysander looked around and spotted a door. He guided Rosalya to it and took a closer look. To his surprise, someone had accidentally left a key in the lock. He glanced around the stairway to make sure that nobody was watching, and then slipped inside with Rosalya.

They found themselves in a spacious basement with lots of old furniture piled around the room. "Wow! This place is amazing," Rosalya commented. The wonder of the underground sanctuary distracted her from her troubles.

Lysander selected two sturdy chairs from the pile of old furniture and set them up facing each other. Rosalya sat down gratefully, and he joined her. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "I don't know what it is about you, but you seem different from the other girls. Can you tell me why?"

"Why… why not be different?"

"OK. Most girls realize that guys get jealous and therefore only date one guy at a time."

"Oh. You mean those crazy, deranged guys on TV? I wouldn't want to date one of _those_guys. Thank goodness they're not real people."

Lysander looked at her quizzically.

"My parents told me never to believe anything I saw on TV. I saw a couple of TV shows at a friend's house once. These two guys were fighting over a girl and doing all sorts of stupid things to hurt each other. They were both really cute and they both could have been happy if they weren't so mean to each other. In just those two hours, I understood what my parents meant when they said that television would rot my brain."

Lysander suddenly understood the innocence in Rosalya's eyes. Nobody had ever told her that showing affection to someone she liked could be wrong. Lysander also realized that his own outlook on the world had been heavily influenced by popular media. When one character did something nasty to another or acted out of jealousy, he laughed simply because Castiel or the studio audience laughed. Would he have found it so funny if he had watched it alone without any outside influences?

"What's wrong?"

Lysander realized that he had been frowning heavily. "This changes everything. I have heard that television shows were absolute garbage, but I never though much of it until now. I wish I could undo the influence that television has had on myself and others to see how the world would be different. However, we are stuck with the world the way it is and must live by its rules."

Rosalya pouted. "I'm not going to live by any rules unless there's a really good reason for them."

Lysander thought for a moment. "Well, have you ever been jealous?"

"Yeah, once."

"And how did it feel?"

"Awful."

"So wouldn't you like to spare Leigh that experience?"

"Huh? How can I do that? Being jealous is _his_ choice and there's nothing I can do about it."

Lysander was silent for a moment. "Could you explain that to me?"

"OK. You see, when I was little and playing outside, there was an earthquake. Part of the house collapsed on my mom, and she had to go to the hospital. She got lots of flowers and chocolates and cards from people, and I was jealous because I wanted them for myself. My mom told me how lucky I was to be outside when the earthquake happened because I could still run and jump. So, I decided to enjoy the fact that my body was still whole and be thankful for what I had instead of jealous for what I did not have."

"That makes a lot of sense. However, like it or not, there will still be people out there who misinterpret your, uh, enjoyment of life. Listen, I want you to keep your affairs quiet. It's fine to have one boyfriend in this place, but any more than that and you'll be shunned. In fact, I think you're already under suspicion from Charlotte."

Rosalya tossed her snowy white hair and shrugged. "So what?"

"There are many other things our classmates learned from television besides simple jealousy," Lysander began. He then proceeded to tell her about some of the much darker things he had witnessed on the networks. It wasn't all just make-believe, either. Some of the stories in the news contained atrocities so disturbing that even Lysander's normally steady voice cracked as he recounted them. People would gang up on others just for being different, and often bullying went further than just a swirly in the school toilet.

Rosalya shuddered, and Lysander took her in his arms. She climbed into his lap and stayed there as he stroked her hair. "So, you're saying that I can't be myself for my own safety?"

"I'm just saying to be careful what you say and do around people you barely know. I accept you, but keep in mind that others may not."

Rosalya lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "Are you saying that you're the only person at this school I can trust? That doesn't seem right."

"Not at all. I'm saying that I think you should drop a few hints and gage the reactions of people before spilling all your secrets. Be more cautious and subtle."

Rosalya nuzzled Lysander's cheek. "That sounds like fun, actually. I'll see what I can do. So, you're going to give me some pointers? Be my protector and all that?"

"Sure." A ripple of unfamiliar excitement passed through Lysander's skin. He could not understand why this girl was so irresistible. Perhaps it was her smooth, creamy skin or the way her curves seemed to meld with his muscles when she pressed her body against his. Perhaps it was something more than that. Her unbridled spirit and moxie had no equal among the female population of the town. He found himself kissing her as if by instinct. It felt so natural, like running through a meadow. The nagging voice inside his head that worried about what his older brother would do if he found out did not kick in until later.

-Flasback, Part 3-

Rosalya bounced into Leigh's shop dragging Lysander behind her. "It's ready? It's finally ready?"

"Yes. Right this way." Leigh led her to the back room where he kept his inventory while Lysander waited awkwardly on the sales floor of the shop.

A few minutes later, Rosalya came racing out of the back room wearing a dress that was so short Lysander's words caught in his throat. Her tall boots and professional-looking tie drew more attention to the fact that her upper thighs were exposed. However, the outfit clearly afforded her the freedom of movement both Leigh and Lysander knew she craved.

Rosalya bounded up to Lysander and threw her arms around his shoulders. "What do you think, LysBaby? Isn't it wonderful?"

Lysander reddened and glanced at Leigh, who was as unreadable as ever. He carefully pried Rosalya's limbs off himself. "It suits you."

Rosalya squealed with delight, ran to Leigh, and gave him a huge kiss.

When Leigh's mouth was free again, he said, "That will be one hundred seventy five dollars for the dress and two hundred twenty five dollars for the boots. That's a total of four hundred dollars."

Rosalya blinked. "I… I don't have that kind of money."

"You wanted a custom outfit. Surely you must have realized it would cost more than a pre-manufactured one," Leigh said.

"Yes, but…" Rosalya looked from Lysander to Leigh, uncertain of what to say next.

Lysander stepped in, "Well, Rosalya _is_ your girlfriend. Don't you think that entitles her to the family discount?"

Leigh went behind the checkout counter and did some quick calculations. "OK. Three hundred twenty dollars."

"I still don't have that much," Rosalya said, her eyes shining with a plea for forgiveness.

"How much do you have?" Leigh asked.

"Um… I have my body," Rosalya offered.

Leigh blinked. "That won't pay the bills. Not legally, anyway."

"Wait," Lysander said, "she has a point. Rosalya could model clothing in the shop window to draw in more customers. That would be valuable, right?"

"Oh! That sounds like so much fun. Can I please?" Rosalya begged.

"Yes. That should work. If you do well, you could earn the dress and then some," Leigh said.

Rosalya squealed with joy and leaped around the store. "I get to show _everyone_ the hottest new clothes!"

Lysander felt a twinge of pain strike his gut. Every guy in town would be able to ogle Rosalya from that store window, and they might get the wrong idea about her. Wait, it wasn't his place to be concerned about those things. However, Leigh might have cause to worry. Lysander studied the expression on Leigh's face, but it remained impassive as always. He felt obligated to tell Leigh what he and Rosalya had discussed and what had happened between them, but now did not seem like the right time. He feared that the longer he waited, the more it would shatter Leigh's heart. However, he also felt compelled to take his own advice and drop subtle hints to gage whether Leigh would be receptive to the concept of sharing Rosalya. In any case, the journey ahead loomed dauntingly uncertain.

- Flashback, epilogue-

It wasn't until several months later when Kari and Violette showed up in the store that Lysander finally found the opportunity to break it to Leigh. By that time, he had also found several songs that expressed what he wanted to communicate and. Most notably among them, "Triad" by Jefferson Airplane. However, the introduction of Kari, Jade and Violette made their lives more complicated, like "Boyfriend's Girlfriend" by Must Be Tuesday.

Thankfully, Leigh was not upset at all when he heard the news. He didn't even flinch. In fact, it seemed to take some pressure off him. Leigh knew that he was too busy to give Rosalya the attention she deserved all the time, so knowing that his brother was there to help him put him at ease.

-End Flashback-

Rosalya lay panting with her head on Leigh's chest and her legs in Lysander's lap. Leigh glanced at his brother. "We need to work out more often."

Also out of breath but trying to hide it, Lysander said, "True."

A few moments passed, and Rosalya jumped to her feet. "Let's show off some of those poses in the shop window next time, and at the beach, and everywhere!"

Leigh and Lysander exchanged glances. They still had a lot to teach this girl.


	13. The Beach

Warning: Love Scenes

Chapter 12: The Beach

As planned, Rosalya dropped Lysander and Leigh off at the beach before driving to my house. She wasn't exactly the best driver, but she got Jade and Violette there in one piece. They parked in the driveway, and the front of the car embedded in my mother's hedge. She turned off the engine, and they all got out. I ran out to meet them as soon as they stopped. My mom followed close behind me, looking like she was about to have a heart attack.

"Hey Rosalya, mind if I drive us to the beach?" Jade said after kissing the lawn.

Rosalya turned her golden eyes on him. "You still want to drive even after that awful crash you were in?"

_Why did you have to bring that up, Rosalya?_ I thought.

"You got in a _crash_!?" Mom gasped.

"It was more of a little scrape than a crash. Anyway, that was over four months ago, and it was Castiel's doing. I've also kept in practice," Jade explained.

Mom looked from Jade to Rosalya to her hedge, and then at Jade again. "Maybe I should drive you."

"There wouldn't be enough room," I told her.

Mom snapped her fingers. "I _knew_ we shouldn't have sold the minivan." She had finally gotten rid of the gas-guzzling machine three years ago when she resigned herself to the fact that she was not going to have any more children. It had been difficult for her to let go.

Violette stepped forward and bowed. "If I may, Mrs. Rakitan, Jade is an excellent driver. The crash was very minor and completely the other driver's fault. Jade handled the car very responsibly. If anybody else had been driving, it could have been much worse." Mom looked at Violette, and her expression softened. _Way to go, Violette! Finally, all of your coaching in manners paid off._

"All right. I don't know how Timmy's parents will feel about a strange boy driving their son, though. Now there's a thought! You could ride with him."

Violette almost lost her nerve again for a second, but managed to utter, "That would be lovely."

Mom rubbed her hands together while Jade and I exchanged glances. "Great! Let's go meet him!"

We walked two doors down to a house with a big American flag on the porch and neatly trimmed rose bushes. Mom beaconed Violette to stand beside her as she knocked on the door. Jade, Rosalya, and I stood a few paces behind them.

A young man with neatly combed brown hair and electric blue eyes answered the door. He wore a button-down shirt with blue jeans and held a small package in his hand. "Hello Mrs. Rakitan. Is this the young lady you were telling me about?"

"Yes, Timmy. This is Violette."

Timothy stepped forward to shake her hand. He was the perfect specimen of respectability and poise. "Hello Violette. I'm Timothy. People called me Timmy when I was younger, but mostly I go by Tim now."

Violette shook his hand politely while my mom chuckled. "Ah yes. Sometimes I forget. You grew up so fast!"

Rosalya whispered a few things about how cute Tim was and some of the things she wanted to try with him, so I missed the rest of the conversation between the three at the door. I was too busy reminding Rosalya to behave.

Jade paid attention, though. He later told me that Timothy somehow had found out about Violette's art and that he gave her a gift of some very expensive paintbrushes. Violette was quite impressed with the gift, and took his arm as he escorted her to his car.

Tim took Violette in his car while Jade drove Rosalya and me in Leigh's car, which my mom thought belonged to Rosalya. After we were all buckled up, Jade put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. "Wow. This car turns really sharply. I've gotta pay attention and make sure not to over-correct."

"So Jade, what do you think of Timmy?" Rosalya asked.

"Not now. This car is a lot lighter than what I'm used to. I need to concentrate on driving," Jade said.

"You're no fun," Rosalya pouted.

"Kari, can you help me navigate?" Jade asked.

I suspected that Jade was trying to keep the topic off Timothy as much as possible for other reasons in addition to his need to concentrate on the road in an unfamiliar neighborhood, but I agreed to help him all the same. I told Jade the way to the beach while he kept a sharp eye on traffic and adjusted to the car. Things were a little rough and jerky at first, but he quickly got the hang of it.

After we parked, Jade said, "That was my first time driving a vehicle with an internal combustion engine."

I patted him on the back. "Well, you did a great job."

As we got out of the car, I spotted Leigh and Lysander on the beach, already playing with a Frisbee. Rosalya saw them, too. "Remember, we don't know them yet," I whispered to her.

Tim and Violette got out of their vehicle to join us. "Tim says that he can identify most of the animals in the tidal pools around here. I'd really like to see them too, but it's two miles away from this beach," Violette said.

I glanced at Jade. This would be the perfect opportunity to ditch our seventh wheel, but we would have to sacrifice Violette to do it. I knew that Jade and Violette got to see each other frequently at home, but it wasn't every day they got to go to the beach together. "OK," he said at last with a forced smile. "Have fun but be careful. Tide pool rocks can be slippery."

"Thanks," Violette said, "I'll sketch something for you."

With that, Violette and Tim got back in Tim's car and drove out of the parking lot. As soon as they were gone, Rosalya ripped off her dress, revealing a purple swimsuit that cut low to her belly button. Crisscrossing laces held it together. She then dashed down to greet Lysander and Leigh.

Jade _thunked_ his head against the side of the car. "_I_ wanted to show Violette the animals and plants in the tide pools."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "At least you know she'll be thinking of you while she's out there. She said she'd sketch you something. Plus, next time she can show _us_ the tide pools."

Jade turned to me and put his arms around my waist. "Yeah," he sighed, "five years from now when your parents aren't breathing down our necks and trying to marry her off to that neighbor of yours."

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked.

Jade stared into the distance where his other girlfriend had disappeared with my neighbor. "Yeah. There's nothing I can do about it at this point. I guess we should go join the others now."

I gave Jade a squeeze and a little kiss. Then, I smiled deviously. "Last one on the beach is a rotten egg!"

Jade grinned, and we grabbed our beach totes. We raced down the rocks that separated the parking lot from the beach, and then towards our friends. We didn't really keep track of who got there first; it was just fun to run. Lysander spotted me running towards him and missed catching the Frisbee that was headed his way. Instead, he loped to greet me with his arms open wide. He picked me up and twirled me around while kissing me. I guess it was a little cliché, but it still felt incredibly romantic. I think that every girl should have that experience at least once.

"Rosalya told us that Timothy went to the tide pools. I have to admit that I was mildly curious about meeting him, but this is better," Lysander said with his hands tangled in my ponytail.

"Speak for yourself," Jade said.

"Aw Jade! Are you jealous?" Rosalya asked in a teasing tone.

"Not jealous, worried," Jade clarified.

"Oh. In that case let me take all your worries away." Rosalya drew close to him and slung her arms over his shoulders.

Jade sighed. "I doubt you can, but I'll let you try."

I turned my attention back to Lysander. "How long do you think they'll be at the tide pools?" he asked.

"Maybe an hour or two. Why don't we take a walk?"

"That sounds good."

I turned my head to see Rosalya showing Jade all of the cool yoga supplies she had brought. That seemed to cheer him up. "Hey! We're going to get lost for a while. See you in an hour," I called.

Jade looked up at me with a smile, but I could tell on closer observation that it was forced. "OK. We'll see you then."

I felt a little guilty about leaving Jade alone with Rosalya and Leigh, but I'm sure he understood that I hadn't seen Lysander all summer and this was my only chance. Lysander and I linked arms and strolled along the beach. Finally, we didn't have to operate under the pretense that he was actually Rosalya. However, that also meant that Lysander had a few things to tell me about Rosalya.

Lysander started by explaining the struggle for phones that had occurred while we were planning this trip. "Sometimes, I worry that Leigh and I aren't enough for her," he confessed, "she needs to run and explore constantly. It's not just new places, either; it's new people. She's getting restless and I fear I can't protect her forever."

"Maybe we should move to Paraguay," I suggested.

This only served to make Lysander more pensive. "You and I both know that's not a viable option. Even if we could find a shred of the old Ache culture there, we would probably not be accepted by them. I don't think that Jade would appreciate living there, either. I read an article recently about how Monsanto is planting genetically modified soybeans in Paraguay, and anyone living next to the fields gets poisoned by chemicals."

"Pesticides? I thought that the whole point of genetically modified crops was that they would be resistant to pests and they wouldn't even need pesticides."

"You're right, but the problem is mainly herbicides. The plants are resistant to Roundup, so the farmers spray it all over the field, killing everything except the crop itself. Unfortunately, Roundup is also toxic to humans in quantities that large."

"Then we should do something about it," I declared. "Does Jade know?"

"Probably," Lysander said, "I think that there are plenty of battles to fight right here at home. The same thing is happening in rural America. Either way, I would not mention it to him right now. He seems pretty down already." Lysander stared distantly at the waves for a moment.

"Good point. Well, maybe we should do more research, and make our lives here worthwhile. Plus, there _have_ to be more people like us out there, I said."

"What makes you so sure?" Lysander asked. He paused to pick up a pretty shell he spotted in the sand.

I told him all about the couple I had met on the train, and how they had so much in common with us, except for the circumstances under which they chose to have a non-monogamous relationship. I had been dying to tell him that story ever since I first met them.

"What were their names?" Lysander asked.

"They were, uh . . . maybe Sam and uh . . . I'm not really sure."

"You're almost as forgetful as Rosalya when it comes to names," Lysander noted.

"I guess we have something in common, then. Anyway, the point is that we found each other, didn't we?" I picked up a tiny handful of sand. "Let's say that each of these grains represents a person. Take out six grains and you have us." I flattened my palm and carefully separated six grains from the pile. "Let's say that the rest of this pile represents everyone in Sweet Amoris and Emerald Haven. The six of us here only represent what we know from forming a bond of trust. For argument's sake, let's say that there are six people like us in every high school cohort, but we don't know them because they are just as secretive as we are." I separated more grains from the pile and arranged them in neat groups of six on my palm. "If we never meet, we all think we're alone. However, if we could get together," I combined the tiny piles into one that was sill smaller than the main pile, but not quite so insignificant in comparison, "we would not feel so isolated. It would be more like a society, a network of people we could confide in." I let the sand go and gestured to the rest of the beach. "Now if those are just the people in two towns, imagine how many people like us there must be in the world?"

Lysander's heterochromatic eyes grew intense. "That's true, except for one thing. You are assuming that our high school cohort is representative of all high school cohorts. What if we're just a fluke, an outlier?"

I sighed and linked arms with him again. "As I said, I think we need to do more research. If we can get some sort of anonymous survey of people around the world, that could help us figure things out."

Lysander let the cool sea breeze ruffle his hair for a few moments while he thought. "We're both taking AP Statistics next year. We don't know whether we'll have the same period or not yet, but regardless I think we'll learn some skills we can put to use outside of class. Would you like to work on that with me?"

Something in Lysander's tone of voice made me giggle. It sounded so much like a marriage proposal that I could not resist the urge to say, "I do! Hey, where's my ring?"

"Ring?" Lysander asked.

"Well, it doesn't have to be a ring, but it would be nice to have something to commemorate our commitment to research."

Lysander fingered the shell in his hand. "If we drilled a hole in this, we could turn it into a necklace. However, we also might crack it in the process. Let's look around a bit more and see what we can find."

We continued strolling along the beach and found rusty bottle caps, pieces of smooth glass, and more shells. The beach ended at the base of an eroding cliff, where we found larger rocks. Lysander spotted a rock with a hole in it and grabbed it immediately. He pressed it into my palm and closed my hand around it.

"You know, ancient people used to call stones with natural holes in them adder stones. They were considered to be good luck, or sometimes thought to hold magical powers."

The object adder stone has been added to your inventory

I smiled, but the sea breeze whipped a loose strand of my long auburn hair into my mouth. Lysander gently brushed it away from my face, and our eyes locked for a moment. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine and my hair was flying around both of us. It felt so good to finally have some time alone with him again. Unfortunately, we both knew it could not last long. I had to be back with Jade before Timothy and Violette came back from the tide pools. However, I still savored every second I spent with him.

I played with the stone in my hand as I strolled back with him. The hole was too big for any of my fingers and the stone itself was too large for a ring, but I would get a string and wear it as a necklace later.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Lysander asked

"Of course."

"Rosalya is pretty much insatiable when it comes to love and affection. Do you feel that way and simply hide it most of the time, or are you truly satisfied with Jade and me?"

That seemed like an odd question and it took me a while to think about it, but I came up with an answer. "I'd say I'm satisfied, but I still have desires from time to time. There are some guys out there I find very attractive, but I don't go drooling over them instantly. I guess I'm too worried about breaking hearts. If I give a guy the impression that I can be _all his _before I get a chance to tell him about you, I could wind up hurting him deeply, and I don't want to do that."

"That's what I like about you, Kari. You're very thoughtful, even if you forget names from time to time. Rosalya tends to act without thinking, while Violette seems to spend so much time thinking that she rarely acts at all." Lysander's eyes widened as he looked straight ahead. "Speak of the…"

Rosalya came hurtling at us and tackled Lysander to the sand. She planted a big kiss on him before she let him back up. I looked farther ahead to see Jade and Leigh sitting under a big sun umbrella.

"It's time to go swimming!" Rosalya called to the other boys.

We walked over to join Jade and Leigh. As always, Leigh's expression was difficult to read. Jade, on the other hand, appeared to be deep in thought. He snapped out of it and gave me a bashful smile when I approached. I sensed that he had been confiding some of his thoughts about me and Violette to Leigh and Rosalya the same way that Lysander had confided his thoughts about Rosalya to me.

Rosalya pranced around us in her swimsuit. "Swimming time! Swimming time!"

"I still need to put on sunscreen," Jade protested.

"I put on sunscreen this morning, but it's probably time to re-apply now," I said.

"Same here," Lysander said.

"Oh! Let me do it. I'm good at that," Rosalya said.

Lysander made additional protests while Leigh calmly unbuttoned his shirt. Rosalya then made a show of rubbing the creamy white lotion all over Leigh's chest and back. Meanwhile, I took off my outer clothes and folded the adder stone carefully inside the cloth. I used my elastic hair tie to secure the bundle, and started slathering the stuff everywhere that my bikini did not cover. My bikini was green and came with a matching beaded gold chain around my stomach. Rosalya had told me that it was the same style Amber bought, but I did not care. I genuinely appreciated her fashion sense, and just because we weren't on the best of terms was no reason to avoid wearing something I liked.

"Hey, what's that?" Jade asked.

I explained the concept of an adder stone to him, and he seemed very interested until I told him that Lysander gave it to me. Then, he got all glum and muttered something about how everyone was giving his girlfriends gifts but him. I pointed out that I was still wearing his flower, and that seemed to cheer him up, but only slightly.

"Hey, do you want some sunscreen?" I asked.

Jade took the bottle from me and read the label. He sighed with relief. "Good. No parabens." He then took off his own shirt and applied the sunscreen.

"What are parabens?" I asked.

"Parabens are carcinogenic chemicals. The most common forms found in cosmetics are propylparaben and methylparaben. Thankfully, this stuff doesn't have any. By the way, could you help me get my back?"

"Sure." I helped Jade rub the sunscreen onto his back while I asked, "So, if parabens cause cancer, why are they in cosmetics at all?"

Jade switched to rubbing sunscreen on my back as he said, "They keep bacteria from growing in the products. There are other formulas they could use, though." Jade sighed heavily.

"What is it?"

"There's more to it than that. Parabens mimic estrogen, and lately male fish have been turning into females. Scientists aren't sure exactly why, but one possible cause is parabens polluting the water."

I shuddered. "That's really scary. I'm glad you told me, though. I'm going to read the labels on everything I buy from now on to make sure that there are no parabens."

This cheered Jade up a bunch. He gave me a hug, but I was still slippery from the sunscreen and his hands slid over me. It felt kinda weird, but also good. I giggled and hugged him back. We then slipped our hands all over each other until the sunscreen was completely rubbed in.

Now that Lysander was the only one with a shirt still _on_, his arguments became moot. Rosalya finished with Leigh and circled Lysander. "No. Don't even think about it," Lysander said.

Rosalya prowled and crouched like a snow leopard on the hunt. "Kari, a little help here," she said with honey dripping from her voice.

I could not help but grin. A certain internet meme came to mind.

I didn't usually engage in antics of this nature, but with Rosalya leading the charge, I knew we could pull it off.

I started circling Lysander as well, and this time he didn't know which way to turn. He tried to keep an eye on each of us, but the moment he turned his head away from Rosalya, she pounced. I followed and yanked off his shirt while Rosalya held him down. Lysander struggled indignantly for a moment, but quickly realized the futility of his efforts.

"Hey Jade, can you toss me that sunscreen?" I asked after I got Lysander's shirt off.

Jade complied, and I tried to catch the bottle, but missed. White goop spurted all over Lysander's chest. Rosalya giggled gleefully and massaged it into his skin. "Fine, you win," Lysander said.

After we were done with Lysander's chest, we helped him to his feet and dusted the sand off his back. Finally! I got to see his tattoo for the first time. Lysander was worried that I wouldn't like it or concerned about decency or something, but I found it absolutely magnificent. I kissed it lightly before rubbing sunscreen on it. "You have no need to be self-conscious, darling. I don't know why you were hiding this lovely piece of artwork from us all this time."

Jade stared at us with insecurity creeping across his face. "You didn't say that when you saw _my_ back."

I winked at him. "I also didn't say anything like that when I saw Lysander's flower garden."

"Oh." Jade's face flushed when he realized that he had given into jealousy again. Comparing the two guys was like comparing apples to oranges; they each had their merits and I enjoyed both for different reasons. Jade should have realized that and kept it in mind.

Unfortunately, Tim and Violette picked that moment to show up. Rosalya and I still had our hands on Lysander while Jade's face was muddled with embarrassment. "Hi Tim! Want some sunscreen?" I chirped.

Tim glanced from me to Jade while Violette kept her eyes downcast. "What's going on here?"

Leigh quickly covered for us with a half-truth. "These ladies forgot to bring sunscreen, so we let them have some of ours on the condition that they both help us put it on."

Tim's brow furrowed, and his mouth grew small. His blue eyes drilled into Leigh and Lysander, hot with judgment. "You creeps exploited these poor girls? And you made Kari's boyfriend _watch_?"

Leigh gave a little smirk and nodded. "Pretty much."

Tim turned to Jade. "And you! You just stood there and let this happen?"

Jade threw up his hands. "Chill, man. It's not like I _own_ Kari or anything." I'm glad he admitted that aloud, even if he was having a difficult time with his insecurities today.

Rosalya and I finished Lysander's back and started approaching Tim. "Yeah Tim, chill," I said.

"We can do you, too," Rosalya offered.

"After where your hands have been, no way!" Tim grabbed Violette's hand. "Come on, Violette. Let's get away from these freaks."

"No," Violette said softly.

"What did you just say to me?"

Violette jerked her hand out of his grip and came to stand beside me. "These . . . these are my friends, and . . . and I'm not leaving them for you. They may be a little eccentric, but I love them. They have the biggest hearts of anyone I know, and I won't let you insult them like that."

I was so impressed by Violette's actions that I felt tears threatening to drip from my eyes. I usually stood up for her, but this time she returned the favor. Jade's eyes moistened with tears of pride as well, and I knew that he would have given her a huge hug right then and there if Tim wasn't spying for my mom.

Tim seemed quite taken aback for a moment. After a moment of tension, he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

_Yes, you did_, I thought.

"I guess I just read too much into things and got creeped out."

_No, you read things correctly. At least now we know we can't trust you with the whole truth._

"Can you forgive me?"

Violette blinked. "I . . . sure. I can forgive you."

"No problem, Tim. Just try not to be so uptight, OK?" I said.

"Kari's right. Constipated is not a good look on you," Rosalya added.

I smiled to myself. Count on Rosalya to say what the rest of us were too polite to say. At least Rosalya wasn't hitting on him. I have to admit that I had a mild attraction to Tim myself, but that went out the window as soon as he started judging us. I could tell that Violette felt the same way. Now that the group was back together, she kept her distance from Tim.

I helped Violette put her sunscreen on while Jade helped Tim. Violette's swimsuit was much more conservative than Rosalya's and mine, so all I really had to worry about was her shoulders and upper back. I think that her swimsuit was a little old-fashioned, but it suited her and it looked stylish.

After that, we all went for a good swim in the ocean. Rosalya splashed around with the brothers, and Jade kept putting pieces of seaweed in my hair while Violette laughed. Violette then went back to shore to sit under the sun umbrella and do some sketching. Tim tried to play with us, but the tension between the six of us and him never disappeared entirely. By the end of the day, Violette was back in Leigh's car with Jade driving, and I knew we would not have to worry about Tim again.

Looking back later, I realized how rare that experience was. In most situations, we were in the minority and had to bear the tension of being different. Although Tim never found out exactly what our arrangement with each other was, I think he sensed that there was something fundamentally unique about us. He clung to strict monogamous ideals, and we didn't.


End file.
